Ellen Soffer and I were brainstorming an intriguing title for her most recent exhibit–something better than “New Work by Ellen Soffer.” I noticed she had selected the image Candy Mountain to be on the postcard for the exhibit.
It was a great title for her work and she could use it for the whole show as well.
Can’t get a better name than Candy Mountain. It’s fun, playful, and it alludes to the bright color in her paintings. You can just imagine eating your way through a huge pile of colorful candies.
The show's final title: CANDY MOUNTAIN and Other New Works by Ellen Soffer.
7 thoughts on “Titling Your Art Show”
Hi! Great name – I remember from the movie soundtrack O Brother Where Art Thou, there was a fantastic song about the “Big Rock Candy Mountain”. It was a real catchy tune – one that I am singing in my head from reading your post. It might be fun to play the music at the reception if it is a good fit with the art. Lorese
Funny thing, I thought just the same thing, Lorese!
A few years ago a florist friend of mine ventured into abstract painting. He had a show. After the show, I asked him how the sales went. He said the ones that sold were the ones that had titles people could relate to like, “East Beach at Sunrise.” Those titled, “Abstract #whatever” are still in his personal collection. He convinced me.
Hi! Another good reason to title your art is to not drive your gallery director crazy! I was dropping work off at a gallery when another artist came in to drop hers off too. The director and I wanted to chat a little, so she attended to the other artist first. She got out the inventory book and asked the titles of the pieces. Well, the artist, new to the gallery, didn’t have any titles! A certain “look” dropped over the director’s face, and then she kindly but firmly suggested this young artist think of some titles while we waited. And she did, good ones too! When she had left the gallery director turned to me and said “Good thing she took my suggestion. I am never going to accept untitled pieces ever again. It is a cataloging NIGHTMARE for the gallery!” All those untitled # 7’swere clogging up the database…and getting confused with other artist’s untitled # 7’s. I’d never thought of it from the gallery’s point of view before! Just FYI.
Nancy & Lorese: Saw the movie, but don’t recall the song. Now I’m terribly curious! Gay: Excellent testimonial and validation. Nancy Bea: Yes! We want to keep our gallery directors happy. Why make it any harder for them to sell our work? Great point.
Great painting and Fantastic title!! ~ Diane Clancy http://www.dianeclancy.com/blog
Big Rock Candy Mountain is also the title of a book by Wallace Stegner. It’s a great book about life at the early part of the century in the Western US.