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Most of the time a signature refers to the written name of a person. However, there is a broader definition that refers to a distinctive action or characteristic of a person's style. For instance, if you see enough of one artist's work, you can immediately tell that it was done by that artist. Each artist has their habitual marks or arrangement of elements, or techniques that visually describe who they are. None of us can run away from our signature. It is who we are!
I actually created this background some time ago, but never could write a quote that seemed to fit. The "aha" moment for me was realizing that the gestural marks in the background reminded me of someone's signature. Better yet, I had made a gestural mark with a brush, the corner of a credit card, and a pointed shaper tool. I also used a credit card to incise some lines in the paper while it was wet. This does add some energy, especially when they are inscribed at an angle or veer off in a different direction.
The inkwell is from my personal collection and I'm particularly fond of the shape. You might not be able to pick up the subtle nuance of the dark values in the pen, bottle, and shadows, but they are not black. I mixed up Ult. Blue, Winsor Violet, and a bit of Burnt Sienna (in gouache) to create a color that looks like black. It is a livelier color combination with the yellow green background because yellow and purple are complements. It is one of those details that can make a huge difference, especially in the original.
As always, these comments might spark your imagination to try a few new things or just give you something to think about.
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