Identifying Inspiration

With a single word, we can convey a tremendous amount of meaning including images, emotions, or entire concepts. Names, whether they are given to a person, a place, an event or an idea will often carry all of this. When Sarah Shriver chose to call not just her pieces, but a color palette after a single person, she brought in the full history and all the concepts associated with what each of us know about a woman named Frida. Her Frida palette echos the brilliance often found in the paintings of the renown Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. This also gives us a little bit of insight as to where Sarah finds her color inspirations.

Frida Bracelet

Naming your work after someone or something widely familiar can bring a tremendous amount of character and depth to your work. I have a ceramicist friend who names all his work after people, places and things seen in famous fantasy movies and books even though there isn’t usually any direct imagery on his work from these movies, just a general sense of it. He usually sells out at all the shows he does. It does help that he is a very skilled ceramic artist, and that he knows who he is selling to. Didn’t think naming your work could do much for your sales? I can tell you from my own experience that it can make all the difference.

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