Congratulations to Kathleen for winning Free Cards for Free Cards Friday! Email me Kathleen.

Here is a run-down of Available 8×8 paintings ~ in case you are waffling on Mom’s gift this year, and some thoughts on Paintings as Logos. Learn more about the Available 8×8 Paintings here.

I’ve always loved logos – a company’s brand and what it represents. I studied design in college and logos were my favorite project. Upon graduation, I started my own graphic design business and became a logo-purist – searching through catalogs to find businesses that were “in need of my services”, judging (unfortunately) the business instantly by looking at it’s logo. So many, I felt, were hurting the business rather than helping it. What an amazing concept to me – how one little “mark” could represent the commitment someone has to their business – the time and money they felt was important to put into their company’s brand – the logo – the first graphic that a potential customer would see when considering hiring them for their services. The image that would stand in their mind when they couldn’t quite think of the business’ name.

The indifference that I noticed annoyed and excited me because I knew that I could help them – and I helped many of them, by picking up the phone and introduced my passion and my services.

To this day, I love logos. My 3-year-old knows what a logo is and my almost 5-year-old has actually critiqued company logos within my earshot. I can practically hear myself saying (from years ago) “they need me”.

When I begin a painting, I think like a logo – I sketch compositions into my sketchbook the exact same way that I sketch logos. They begin as black and white marks, simplified and simplified, infused with meaning and refigured until the composition feels just right. Each logo always began with black and white – no use adding color if the composition wasn’t right.

Today, each of my paintings begin with umber (brown) and white (there is no black in my studio) and are finessed until the composition is just right. Then and only then is color added.

Composition is equally important to a company’s brand as to a piece of Fine Art you are going to hang on your wall – both are going to be looked at every day by a variety of people.

The 8×8 paintings, especially, because of their smallish square-ness have allowed me to think of Painting as Logo. I am thoroughly enjoying this process and the way that it fulfills me. (I hope that my design instructor would be proud).

Available 8x8s from top to bottom:

Point Of View
Affection
Perch
From Within
Sweet
All Is Well
Sugar & Sunshine

I hope you have a thoroughly wonderful week!

Love & Sincerely, Katie