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Memories of Spring – intuitive abstract watercolour painting

Memories of spring - watercolour painting of gold and purple flowers by Kirsten Bailey
Memories of spring – watercolour painting of gold and purple flowers by Kirsten Bailey

 

The inspiration for this painting was a posy of wildflowers, picked in the spring and beginning to dry and wilt as spring moves in to summer.  Painted in shimmery gold paint, this painting is prettier in person than it is on the screen!

You can purchase this original painting from my Etsy store.  Prints and other products like the ones below can be found at Redbubble.

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Win a $50 KL Bailey Art Voucher

 

 

I’m having a competition over on my Facebook page, where you can win a $50 voucher to spend on any of my paintings.  You can even use it to commission a brand new personalised painting!  Supporters over on Patreon get a bonus 5 entries.  I will draw the competition on Saturday 1st July.  Best of luck!

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How to title artwork

Night Colour - original watercolour painting of swirly rainbow trees by KL Bailey Art

How do you give a title to your artwork?  This is something I often have difficulty with. I recently finished a painting I’m struggling to find a title for.

I feel like the title should help the viewer to understand the meaning and inspiration behind the work.  But I want the title to be interesting and in some cases, a little mysterious – especially in my abstract work – I want the viewer to have the chance to make up their own mind.

Sometimes, a title comes to me immediately – often this is the case for the simple images – a group of colourful trees on a night sky background becomes ‘night colour’, or an image of a baby bird taking its first flight becomes ‘brave‘.

Night Colour - original watercolour painting of swirly rainbow trees by KL Bailey Art
“Night Colour”

 

"Brave" - original watercolor painting by Kirsten Bailey
“Brave”

For other paintings, I have more trouble thinking of a title.  Sometimes I’m inspired by quotes or poetry – My painting “Hope is the thing with feathers” is inspired by a poem by Emily Dickinson.

Hope is the thing with feathers - original watercolour painting of a bird in a swirly tree by KL Bailey Art
“Hope is the thing with feathers”

The title of my painting ‘Beautiful Mysterious’, of a star filled galaxy, was inspired by a quote by Albert Einstein:

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed.”

"Beautiful Mysterious" - original watercolour purple galaxy painting by KL Bailey Art
“Beautiful Mysterious” – original watercolour purple galaxy painting by KL Bailey Art

Fellow artists: How do you come up with titles for your work?  Is it something you struggle with, or does it come easily?