Does an Artist Need a Signature Style?

One of the hardest questions I ask myself as an artist is this: do I have a stand-out style? Something that distinguishes me from other artists? Something so “me” that even without signing my name to a piece, a person would know I was the one who made it?

The close of the year seems a good time to ask this. We are able to coral all that we have created in twelve months of toil - some which were spent just watching & waiting - and see the year as a visual whole. It is easy, as creatives, to fall into the trap of seeing only the flaws. And so first things first: I want to remind you that what we see as flaws may be somebody else’s favorite part. It might be the thing that pulls a collector.

But we are creatives, so flaws we will find! One of the aspects of my work I have often seen as “flawed” is that fact that it is always shifting, that I move so often between techniques. I love mixed media. But the media I use are always changing. This year alone I went from staining raw canvas, to painting with impasto marks on gesso. I returned to collage, and using sand to make touchable texture. Do these works have a “style?” Would I know they were mine if I hadn’t made them?

But then I remember that old cliche: never lose the forest for the trees. So I step back. And the similarities rise to the surface. There is always a mix of chaos and order, and a dialogue between elements in contrast. Spheres and lines. Puddles and scrawl. Yes, they look different. But they do bear my hand. Which is to say, of course they look different. They depict what I see, and I always aim to see things anew.

So no, you do not need a signature style, or a singular technique, in order to create a cohesive oeuvre. Your style will find you. So long as your work derives from within, it will always look and feel like yours.

As we enter 2024, do not be afraid to be free and creative, to innovate and depart. You won’t stray too far from the elements that ground you.

I thank you for joining me on my creative journey. I promise to continue to paint from the heart. And I pray for a year full of only blessings.

Happy New Year!!

XOXO

Keren