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rkhbartstudio

What's In A Name?

Updated: Sep 30

It has been a long road of trail and error to select my "official" artist's signature for my art.


It sounds simple enough. Create an image and sign your name in the bottom corner. What could be the problem? For me, it has never been that simple.


When I was in my teens and started showing my art in the local fairs, I was very insecure about my art. Was it good enough? Would others laugh at it? I hid my identity behind my nickname of that time. Any surviving art will be signed Rufus.


During my teaching career when I was taking night school and summer art courses I was worried about my young students seeing some of it. These were the life drawing classes with nude models. What would my young students and parents think if one of those drawings showed up in a display? Again, I hid my identity with my new signature of that time. Any surviving art will be signed RKHB.


Immediately after retirement I attended the Victoria College of Art with more life drawing classes with nude models. And although I was out of the classroom, I still felt that I did not want my students who were still quite young to see their old teacher drawing rude pictures. (To an eight year old, these would be rude pictures.) So any surviving art will be signed RKHB.


Now my last class of students have graduated and are well able to handle the thought of their old teacher drawing rude pictures. It is time to come out of the shadows and proudly sign my name on my art. Easy, right?


Well, no. Shall I sign it Ruth Bowman or R Bowman? Should it be printed or done in cursive handwriting? And where to put it? In the right hand corner? But if I do put it in the right hand corner where there is only a pale plain colour, it will stick out and conflict with the image. Shall I print it inside the image as part of the shading? But then will anyone ever see it and know this is my work? ARGH!


My latest work is a coloured pencil image of Sandy which is on the coloured pencil page. Can you see the signature? Probably not as I hid it in Sandy's neck. And I signed it RB. Sigh.





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