To me there are several ways to leave a signature on a work of art, or really anything that you do. One way is of course to simply sign your name- showing who did it. Some people don’t like to do this, thinking it vain, or maybe not wanting to be blamed for a bad work- a friend of mine hesitates to sign her name when she submits articles for a newsletter, thinking that she doesn’t write well, when in truth she is one of the best article writers I know!

Another way is to use a symbol that signifies who did the work- a stamp, a small design, or something else for people to look for to tell them who did the work. An artist friend of mine who used to paint sets for plays would always paint a little mouse somewhere on the set, so that only the cast and crew could see it and know that it was there.

I tend to do both. When painting a mural, on a canvas or another work of art, I sign and date the work, using a coordinating color of paint and sometimes even making my signature part of the design. I have put my signature as part of a store’s name if painting a town scene mural, and even put it on a beach towel in a beach scene. Most frequently it is partially hidden in the lower right corner of a wall somewhere, and it becomes part of the painting.

In addition to my signature, somewhere in each painting I frequently include 3 of something- birds, flowers, butterflies, whatever I decide, really. It signifies my personal prayer of gratitude to God for the creative gifts He has given me. In larger murals and paintings I may repeat the number three several times, and sometimes even include 12 of something too.