I know, it has been a long while since posting... the subscribers to 'Impasto!' know a little as to why : -)
In the meantime, I decided to write a bit about an artist's signature.
There are those who like to sign their paintings with prominence (Norman Rockwell comes to mind), and those who, for the most part, only sign on the back... and then there are those artists who like to sign in an inconspicuous, but visible, place on the front so as not to draw attention to the signature. I tend to do the latter.
There is a way and reason I sign my religious paintings... on the front... that goes back to a symbol for 'Ave Maria' that is centuries old. Perhaps you are familiar with it... it is written with a superimposed 'A' over an 'M'.
I saw this symbol some years ago in a little chapel built on the top of a hill in Portofino, Italy. The 'Ave Maria' was beautifully designed into an altar railing gate.
For signing the religious paintings, I use that ancient symbol... with a little change to it by adding three dots over the letters... to symbolize God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit crowning Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Ave Maria!
