Having A Stamp

By having a stamp, I don’t mean, something with ink that you press on. I mean, something when people see it, they identify it with you. You might also call it a signature or trademark. It’s something that appears over and over in your work. 

​I don’t think this is something you can force. I think it has to happen organically

​In my painting “Orangutan Hanging Out,” I painted a very dark blackish green background as part of the jungle atmosphere

​In my painting, “Incoming Swan”, I painted a very dark blackish green background as part of the leaves on the bank,

​and now, in my current painting, I’m making again, a very dark, blackish green background to offset the leaves and branches

​I’m starting to understand by now, and I’m sure you’re starting to understand by now, that I really like making really dark green backgrounds when I paint jungles, forests, or just leaves in general. For me, the darker the background is the better.

​I never set out to continuously make very dark green, almost black, backgrounds with leaves for my pieces over and over again. I just find myself drawn to it, even when my reference photo doesn’t call for it.

​The thought did cross my mind that maybe I should put this type of background to rest. After all, I’ve done it three times already.

​But no, I like this background and I’m going to keep making it as much as I want. It’s become one of my stamps, one of the things that will identify a piece as mine. And the more things there are in my pieces that will tell people that it’s a “Sara Millett”, even before people see my name on the painting or the post, the better

​Now I have a question for you. Is there anything you find yourself doing over in over in your art, whether visual or otherwise that’s becoming a signature for you? Share in the comments.

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