| VEREY-FIENNES, a transition |
| Written by Georgia Fiennes |
| Tuesday, 28 October 2008 09:10 |
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Choosing a name for my new website was actually not that hard. My previous site was www.georgiaverey.com (highly imaginative!), but the spelling of my new surname is a little harder to remember (people have a remarkably low tolerance for taking website names on board), so www.georgiafiennes.com was never an option I entertained. Felix and I always joked that if we went into business together we could call our product/company 'Very Fine' - a simplified version of both our names. Apparently a smoothie company in America has already used this name, but I still liked the idea. Since 99% of my paintings involve animals, 'Very Fine Animals' seemed like the perfect name, simple, easy to remember and a clue to what is in store. So www.veryfineanimals.com was born. People have been surprised and some have been somewhat negative when I decided to change my name not only personally but professionally too. However I felt that it would be much easier to have six months to a year of transitional problems than forever to be known by two names. Keeping your maiden name is a very American notion that we have adopted in England but not an idea that I am particularly bothered by. I thought I would take this opportunity to re-start and overhall. Re-launch my name, my website, my painting style, my ideas (and tidy my studio!) I think I will always have animals in my paintings, well, for the foreseeable future at any rate. They give character to my images in a way that nothing else can. However, every few years I try to make gradual changes to my compositions. Incorporating a candlestick or earrings into a painting may seem like a small transition, but when you have been painting shoes for four years it can seem earthshattering, believe me! My first phase of reinvention as Georgia Fiennes is to include backgrounds - gasp! (in the form of vintage wallpaper). Having done nothing but beige, blue or sepia for the past eight years, this has been a huge move, and one that I am very excited about. My paintings have taken on a new and more vibrant life with the wallpapers really complimenting and highlighting the animals in their various poses. I can't wait to explore this concept further. I have also gone a step further by starting to incorporate hats, moving away from Jewellery for a while. I am loving the hat theme and I have discovered that some animals really suit them and should have started wearing them a long time ago! |