Does the title matter?

I think it's really cool when artists have song titles or album names that are a really conversational sentence.

​Billie Eilish

As you'll learn if you read enough of my blogs - I rarely do anything 'all the time' and I say sometimes a lot. I think a lot of creative people are like that, we enjoy playing and experimenting and following a formula just isn't our style.

It's the same way with titling my paintings. Sometimes I title them from the place they are inspired from, other times I don't. It also depends on whether it's a one-off piece or a piece that is part of a series. When I work in series I like to keep a theme flowing and that includes the title of the paintings.

I also find because I paint landscapes that if I choose a title wisely, it can help to convey the underlying theme that I am exploring within the piece or the series.

My favourite way of naming my paintings is to use a snippet from a poem, song lyric or book. Sometimes I will take a word from one source and another word from another to make up my own title. I keep notes on the words and phrases that really light me up or that I think have a good sound to them and would maybe one day be a good title to a painting.

What do you think? Does the title of a painting matter to you? I'd love to know your thoughts!