Behind The Painting-Whats In A Name
/My stories behind the paintings and where I found my space
"a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose".
"So Chris, what are the letters on the bottom of your paintings? What is this CEI thing?"
I was asked this at a surprise birthday party of a good friend of mine. I just take it for granted, assuming that using my initials as my signature would be an obvious sign of ownership. So in order to provide some insight I wanted to share a little background on my "CEI".
The first time I started to use my initials was during my college years. While learning about different crafts, styles, and techniques for painting and other art forms I was also learning about the importance of a signature. The approach to signing the finished piece is just as important as the approach to the painting itself. I experimented with writing my full name, last name, and initials. I decided to stick with signing just my initials because it was quick and simple, I wasn't very good at painting my full name or carving it in clay and wood so I started to use "CEI".
Oil painting of an Indonesian boy I did in college
The linear style of the letters came from the type of tools I used during college. While painting I loved using flat head brushes. I enjoyed working in an impressionistic style that manipulated the edge in a block like fashion. I tend to paint quickly and try not to be hindered by too much realism allowing imagination to guide what one sees. It turned out to be the easiest way to mark my work when I completed the piece.
In my recent paintings I did experiment with something different, but decided in the end to keep the original signature in order to stay consistent within my brand. It was like upholding a tradition or a form of history. This also lead me to keep my initials in the lower right area of the canvas for the same reasons.
My full name, Christopher Eugene Irwin, in itself has some common and uncommon qualities. The length would be very hard to incorporate into the paintings and I enjoy the letter's symbolism of my hand on the canvas. Maybe there will be a time to change how I sign a painting but for now the history and familiarity of what comes naturally will continue to be CEI.
Blessings
