People often inquire about the process of titling artwork. They ask things like, "How do you decide what to call a piece?" or "Do you know what a work will be called before it's started or finished?"

Every artist is different (thank goodness!) But for me, I always answer this way-- it depends.

Sometimes a work is about the layers-- the actual process of placing the materials one atop the other, and seeing what "becomes." When this is the case, the title typically occurs to me at the end as I'm gazing upon a finished work, daydreaming and listening for it's name.

Other times, I have a very specific outcome in mind for a finished work-- something that i want or need to express. I've worked out the order of the layers in my mind, often on paper as well, following a "recipe" of sorts. When this is the process, I typically have the name of the work already chosen.

In my work, the title is just as important as the actual painting. If it's an abstract work, the title is the clue to what the work represents. If it's more of an image, the title is perhaps the descriptive poetry of the work.

I take "naming" my artwork pretty seriously. For me, it's part of my voice.