A colleague recently told me about a Van Gogh exhibit she visited in Europe — the exhibit featured pieces of Vincent’s work that he created before cementing his signature style. This conversation got me thinking about the long, steep, often self-deprecating road to signature style. As a beginning painter, I have seriously wrestled with developing my own distinct style. Like, hair-tearing, back-breaking, chair-smashing wrestled. Am I an abstract painter? A realist? Can I paint what I love without being chintzy or cheesy? There are days when I despise almost everything I’ve created so far. Too abstract, too clean, too realistic, not realistic enough…you get where I’m going here. If you’ve felt this way or struggled with the same questions, ask yourself this — what is the through-line that connects all of your work? When you see your strongest pieces of work together, what is the idea that links them? What are the visual elements these pieces share in common? This will help you identify — and identify in words — what I call your “visual voice.” Once identified, it will be much easier to create work that best speaks with this voice.
Each of us has the distinct potential to develop and strengthen our own visual voice. It takes practice and success and failure to get there, so along the way just remember — even Vinnie walked this road.