“NAME THIS PAINTING” CONTEST: Artist Seeks Help Naming Most Recent Painting

Not titled yet©Sandi Whetzel

Have you ever named a painting? As an artist I give considerable time and thought to picking a title for my paintings because I feel that viewers of the art will connect more to it if it has a clever and fitting title. I usually don't have a title in mind until after the painting is finished. Then, hopefully, it reminds me of something that helps me arrive at a title. The finished art makes me feel a certain way about it that often leads me to its title.

Some paintings are harder than others to title. The blue painting pictured here is one that I'm struggling with, so I've decided to hold a contest or a poll to see what the majority of respondents think is the most fitting title for my most recent painting. If you pick a title for the painting that I haven't already considered and I like it enough to use it, I will award a free 8x10 reproduction of the painting to the first responder that provides the winning title. The winner will be responsible for shipping charges only. Be sure to read the titles I am already considering later in this post to see if you can come up with something I like better. If you can't think of anything better to suggest as a title, I would appreciate you emailing me your vote for which of the titles I have suggested so I can see which is the most popular title for this painting.  (See "Email Me" link under "Contacting Sandi Whetzel" heading at top right sidebar of this page.)

This tastefully sensual moonlit scene of the beautiful lady nestled in the wine goblet is a sequel to the last very popular one that I did of very similar subject matter. You can see that one, titled, “A Toast to Love and Wine” here:

"A Toast to Love and Wine"©Sandi Whetzel

In both paintings I intentionally rendered the men in the paintings less obviously so that you would not see them at first sight. You should notice the beautiful woman in each painting first and then be pleasantly surprised at the observation of the male counterparts in the paintings. Both paintings are a wine fantasy involving lovers. In each of these two paintings the women seem to be having their own private thoughts or dreams; almost oblivious to the rest of the scene.

Lately I've been expanding my wine series of paintings because wine has become a really big thing in the Umpqua Valley where I live. There are many wine lovers in my area and they have made significant connections to my imaginative wine themed art. My wine paintings are very different from the wine paintings you see elsewhere. People are drawn to the paintings because they remind them of how they feel when they drink wine. I've kept those feelings in mind to help me come up with concepts for the paintings. Sometimes I feel almost like I'm creating commercials for the wine industry but that's what it takes for me to create paintings that draw people to them.

OK, now here are the titles I've been considering for this most recent blue wine painting:

“A Romantic Wine Pairing”, “A Perfect Wine Pairing”, “Moonlight Reverie”, “Wine Lovers”, “A Wine Affair”, “Moonlight Rendezvous”, “Wine Buffs”, “Basking in the Afterglow”, “Hope Floats”, “Wine Fantasy”, and “What's in Your Goblet?”

Can you think of a title you like better? If not, which one of the above do you vote for? Email me your suggestions to compete for the winning title or vote for your favorite of my suggestions.  (Use the "Email Me" link at the top right sidebar of this page under the heading of "Contacting Sandi Whetzel". This should be fun and I'd love to know what you think.

If you'd care to leave comments about the painting, click the "Comments" link  below this post but I will not be able to contact you directly from there.  If you want to be notified if you are the winner, then you must use the "email me" link at the top right on the sidebar under the "Contacting Sandi Whetzel" heading to enter your title suggestion(s) and/or vote for one of my suggestions. (The post comments are subject to moderation.) I look forward to hearing from you.

SUCCULENCE! : Fantasy Blends with Reality: ACRYLIC PAINTINGS OF INTIMATE SUCCULENTS BY SANDI WHETZEL, CONTEMPORARY FINE ARTIST, FEATURED AT DIVA

SUCCULENCE! Fantasy Blends with Reality in intimate views of succulents by acrylic contemporary fine artist, Sandi Whetzel, this July at DIVA, the Eugene, OR Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts in the Membership Gallery, one of six galleries at DIVA.

This lively collection of acrylic paintings celebrates luscious, stimulating colors, graceful lines, textures and intriguing motifs inspired by the artist's fascination with organic shapes in the world of succulents. Her art embraces and explores the nuances in shapes, patterns and color drawn from the plant world. Seventeen intimately cropped succulents are generously spaced along six white walls of the space devoted to Sandi's exhibit and two succulent paintings are mounted in the lobby entrance to DIVA. Many of her paintings in this exhibit feature very tactile textures and a couple of them are quite 3-dimensional. All nineteen paintings have brilliant chromas and graceful curvy lines in common.

Whetzel makes her home in Days Creek, Oregon in the southern part of the state. For the past twelve years she has been instructing Community Education art classes for Umpqua College in Roseburg, OR. Recently she has exhibited twice at the Coos Art museum in Coos Bay, the 2009 Inaugural National Art Exhibit in Gold Beach, OR, the Jacobs Gallery at the Eugene Hult Center in 2008 and solo exhibits at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association in Roseburg over the last few years.

Whetzel's painting design, Wine on the Vine II, won DIVA's Art Pour Favor competition for the Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 wine label gracing a special bottling of the wine for DIVA fundraisers in 2009. The Oregon Glide Wildflower Society selected her image of the Oregon Grape to promote the premiere Wildflower Show held in April 2009. Sandi is best known for her use of vibrant color and graceful shapes inspired from the plant world as well as her signature pieces to promote the wine industry in Oregon.

The opening reception for Sandi's exhibit at DIVA, 110 W Broadway, is Friday, July 3, 2009 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. The event is a part of Eugene's First Friday Artwalk. Typically, the first Friday of each month is devoted to the "First Friday ArtWalk" in downtown Eugene. The public is invited to tour several art galleries, see diverse art and enjoy meeting the artists and community leaders at the receptions as they stroll the comfortable distance between art exhibits. For more information regarding the details of the featured stops of the First Friday ArtWalk, hosted by Jeff Geiger, the Artistic Director of NO Shame Theatre of Eugene, click here .

Whetzel's Succulence! Fantasy Blends with Reality solo art exhibit is on display at DIVA from July 3 through August 1st, 2009. Regular gallery hours at DIVA are Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 6 pm. For more information about DIVA click here