Sometimes I really struggle to come up with a good title, especially for my abstract art quilts. I’m often tempted to call them Circle 1, Circle 2, etc. but I love catchy, creative titles, so I spend a lot of time trying to come up with good ones. I asked an online group of SAQA members how they come up with titles for their art, or if they think a title is even necessary.
Most people thought titles were important, and there were a lot of great suggestions about how to generate ideas for titles including: asking friends, searching online, referring to a dictionary or thesaurus, using usual words or interesting phrases. Most of these ideas are things I already do, but they spurred me to do more online research.
I found some great blog posts about titling art, including these ones:
I also found these websites which I’ve bookmarked for future reference:
- a list of words to describe art
- another list of words to describe art
- a list of colors in alphabetical order (for lovers of alliteration in titles)
This is the quilt that I currently need a title for. There’s no deep meaning or emotion involved with this quilt. My inspiration was the relationship of straight and curved lines, and some fabrics in colors I thought would work well together.
I think part of my frustration with naming this quilt is that I was quite pleased the name of my previous circle quilt ‘Circular Thinking‘, and I felt the need to come up with an equally good title for this one. I considered ‘Circular Thinking 2’, but also ‘Circle of Lines and Color’, or ‘Circle of Magenta and Mustard’ (alliteration!).
I also asked readers of my blog and my Instagram followers for suggestions for this quilt, and was very impressed with all the ideas, including: Missing Moon, Poolside, Reversal of Fortune, Through the Looking Glass, Porthole, Glimpse, Topsy Curvy, Eclipse and Eclipsed. Many of these have given me ideas for future circle quilts!
I’m still mulling over what title I will give this quilt. I have to decide soon, because I’m going to submit it to an art quilt show.
So how do you come up with titles for your quilts or other artwork? Do you think a catchy title is important? Do you have any tips or suggestions you’d like to share?
Thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many creative and inspirational projects.
Thank you for sharing your research on choosing titles. Coastal Green #6 is getting a bit repetitive!
Love your quilts and your art. This quilt makes me think of “Earth Reflected” Orange and blackfor day and night, green vegetation, blue water and sky, Purple peace and tranquility
How about Linear thinking? You’ve got the lines in the background and the circles.
Very cool quilt!
Great resources Terry -thanks! In looking at your latest quilt, “throw a curve at it” just went through my head!
Actually I start with the title and work backwards
Great resources Terry, just like your “circle” quilts. Sounds goofy, but I sometimes take a hint from the names on the fabric selvages. How about “Curvilinear Relationship”?
The first potential titles that leapt out at me for your piece are “Nearly There” and “Are We There Yet?” The were inspired by a sense that the circle is about to align with the vertical bars. I’ve had fun following the comments spurred by your question on titling work. We have similar struggles in the Exhibition Committee titling SAQA’s exhibitions. I find some art the title just leaps into my brain with little or no prompting. Others are very, very elusive. – Love the sense of movement you created with this piece.
Thanks for sharing those posts. I stink at coming up with good titles for my quilts, so I will be checking those out! Beautiful work. It has a very peaceful feel. The colors have a nice balance to them.
What I thought of for this piece is it is “half-cocked”. Its from the colloquialism ” don’t go off half-cocked meaning don’t go away half mad. Great fabric use!
I immediately thought of “Another Point of View”. Don’t know why. It just occurred to me. Like Gwyned I find that if the title doesn’t spring to mind while I am doing the work that I struggle. Thanks for the resources.
Terry… this is a wonderful resource. I will have a good time searching for titles and words in the future! It won’t be a chore anymore.
my first thought was “Jupiter is aligned with Mars” from the song Aquarius….so I would name it Aquarius or Jupiter, or Jupiter is aligned with Mars…
Circular Intrusion?
I love using plays on words, puns, or everyday slang, everyone had great suggestions. Did you hand dye the fabric or is it commercial?
How about “Juxtapositions”? When you described your desire to explore the relationship between the straight and curved lines, that’s the word that came to my mind. The energy created by the contrasts between the different fabrics, along with the offset vertical lines, also speak to the different juxtapositions at work in the quilt’s visual language.