Advice On Art Statememt

I think Broken is your best work. I think it makes a powerful statement in an interesting way.

I am on the newer side myself. I am constantly honing things.

I can show you my Artist's Statement under the appropriate tab on my website

http://bridburg.com

Dave

PS good luck with the competition. You never know til you try.

And here's another thread discussing the subject: http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2408216.

Vanessa,

Interesting thread. I had some nightmares writing much of my copy.

But, I had thought long and hard over time about what my art is. So I set down to word processor my
ideas in one take. One edit later I had my Artist's Statement.

Writing my bio was the worst. I turned over my bloodied scribbles by email to my sister, and she made a third person
presentation out of my ramblings. The bio is found under my About on my site.

Word to the wise according to my sister in a bio you can not go from the first person to the third person. It is either one
or the other. And writing about yourself in the third person is just weird.

Dave

David

I just browsed your website which is a good one I might add. I noticed that you have a brief Bio and Art Statement which informs me that they are not the same. So when I do my art statement is it more about my view of my art of and what inspires me to create?

Vincent,

The reason I was able to very quickly and effectively write an artist's statement was my training in the 1980s.

I was trained to think in terms of constructs and how to build them. If you figure out how abstract v figurative your art is,
and how you use color and tone, and how you make statements....and everything else you often integrate into your
works, but as a body of work....a genre.....as those concepts, constructs, are fully understood the writing is solely
on what your art is. If you are happy that will come through loud and clear.

The bio is who you are and how happy you are working as an artist.

Dave

Dave, yes, I hoped the thread was part of the method you might have used yourself. It has to be the toughest part of the art process.

Vanessa,

I could have used a thread for the About me left hand column stuff or the bio and neither would have been enough for my needs.

But the Artist's Statement was a breeze.

Dave

An artist's statement should SUCCINCTLY answer the following:
WHY YOU MAKE YOUR ART,
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE IT,
WHAT IT SIGNIFIES OR REPRESENTS,
WHAT'S UNIQUE OR SPECIAL ABOUT HOW YOU MAKE IT, and ****briefly,*****
WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU.

Don't bog readers down with a lot of words, ideas and sentences that the average person cannot understand.

@ Marlene - in answer to ALL of those questions - after 40 years or so of 'doing' art - "I don't know". And IF you "make stuff up" you'll get caught out when and if anyone ever asks pertinent questions about it and you've forgotten what you wrote.

All I know is that I get satisfaction from completing a really nice piece - and bigger satisfaction if someone likes it enough to award it a prize or purchase it.

What? You're not writing one of these? http://hyperallergic.tumblr.com/post/49524219881/in-defense-of-the-artist-statement-calvins-of

Roy, I like your philosophy. Marlene, do readers really care what it means to the artist him/herself or wouldn't that one only come into play if the artist were already established?

I hate artist statements, I think only galleries, museums and jurors care about them. I'm with Roy, I do it because I enjoy it, there's no grand purpose.

Then THAT is your statement, Roy

Vanessa,
Writing a statement is part of the process of establishing yourself.

David,
I am none of those.
I enjoy reading artists' statements.

David K,

My mentor and I go out to lunch once a week. We walk over to a local gallery, good sized gallery with a new show
around the beginning of every month. He reads the Artist's Statement very carefully at every exhibit he ever goes to.
He is an old school professionally trained electrical engineer. He thinks almost all artist's statements are deeper and deeper
crapola. And he is right. He flunks all of them. I think he grudgingly gives mine a D plus. He says at least it actually says something.

My mentor is a top notch writer high school Choat. He of course also writes with precision as an engineer. I am lucky to get his D plus.

No one has ever gotten more than a D plus from him for an Artist's Statement. File in circular basket.

Dave

I agree that Broken is your best piece posted on FAA.

The following is the long version of my artist statement as requested by my last major exhibition of 30 paintings on walls designed by Frank Lloyd Wright:


Painting has always been my medium. In particular, I love acrylic paint for its easy application and quick drying time. It suits my need to move quickly in making a statement and seizing a mood. My emphasis is on the process. It is passionate, focused and meditative.

If I had to label my work, I would call it abstract expressionism. The masters of that movement have influenced me with their work and their words. It is always thrilling to start with a blank canvas, allow my innermost feelings to take over and see what develops.

As the abstract expressionists did in their time, I experiment with the medium. The technical process involves using airbrush ink to create the shapes and then allow the ink to drip and move around on the canvas. Additional texture is built with layers of gesso, molding paste and acrylic paint. I then hide what isn't needed in fields of color that wash areas of the canvas, leaving a myriad of subtleties to discover. I have experimented with metallic paint colors and geometric applications in wood, paper and plastic as well.

My biographical highlights include two degrees in fine art. Working professionally over the years, I have taught art, consulted in the field, run a business catering to commissioned pieces, been represented by galleries from New York to California (most notably, Santa Fe) and kept up a full art festival schedule. My work has been internationally recognized in recent years.

Two years ago, I picked up a camera to chronicle the abstracts I see when looking down at the streets. It was no surprise to discover that an artist is an artist, regardless of what instrument is in his hand. The striking resemblance of my photography to my paintings, led me to combine the two into hybrid images that have turned out to be the most exhilarating work of my career to date.

I especially enjoy interaction with the public about my art. It serves as a proper balance for the solitary experience as well as giving the public a credible visual experience.

and my shorter, standard one:

Identifying with the abstract expressionist movement, Marlene Burns offers an exciting and expressive body of work. She plays with color, edgy design and mixed media to produce art that befits the process. Her large, gallery wrapped canvases show off her signature style of bold statements.

She lives and works in Tucson, Arizona where she caters to clients and interior designers needing custom artwork for luxury homes and commercial spaces. Marlene has exhibited her work for the past 30 years from California to New York.
Her paintings have graced the covers of numerous publications worldwide. Her most recent series of paintings are devoted to the expressions of prayers, psalms and proverbs, with accompanying text.
Most recently, she is exploring the world with a camera, using her photographs to share her abstract visions.
Marlene Burns earned both her bachelor's and master degrees from the University of Cincinnati, School of Design, Architecture and Art.
Contact information: info@art-marleneburns.com

What kind of art do you do? (painting, drawing, etc.)

What are the subjects or reasons for doing what you do? -- not too effusively emotional here, just a simple honest statement of why.

Oh, a practical question, ... what is the word limit of your required artist statement?

Why not use your FAA bio as a starting place, and just par THIS down to your required word limit?

Marlene, sorry, but you thought I was opposed to writing one? Wow. No., I'm just wondering about the "what it means to you" chapter. I find plenty of people who might want to talk about what the artwork is supposed to represent, but rarely do they want to know the significance as it applies to the artist unless that artist were very well established. So I'm asking as a newer artist if that particular entry would be less of an important part of a statement or what your rational would be in including it.

But it's interesting you're writing in the third person. Would that be because it lends itself better to press release and galleries? Do you keep one in first person for certain occasions?

Vanessa, I wasn't placing judgement on you, no! ;)
I was simply answering the question as to whether people care.
In my years of experience in selling professionally ( over 40), I have discovered that really interested parties, who ultimately become buyers and collectors, want to know as much about you as you are willing to share.
I call it snob appeal. designers take me to a client's home because the client can then brag to their friends that the artist showed up, we met, we talked, we created their vision together....snob appeal.

That said, if someone is considering purchasing your work from an exhibition, show or gallery, the more they know about you to sweeten the pot, as it were, the better.
They don't wanna drop a few thousand and know nothing about the artist...they like to justify their purchase as well to themselves.

I write in first or third depending on how I want the message to come across. Third is usually my choice based on how my bios have always been handled via galleries.
On more personal gatherings, venues, etc, I opt for first.

Well, what I have as my bio on FAA is the closest thing I'll ever have to an artist's statement and I hated writing that, (Brook helped tidy it up a lot for me though.). No snob appeal in my case anyway, no one is paying thousands for my art, or even hundreds for that matter. lol

Ah, ok. No, I didn't think you were judging, just that I hadn't been communicating well.

I haven't had anyone who purchased my work who wanted to know anything more than whether I went to art school or not. They usually had a story in mind regarding how a particular piece related in their life and wanted to know if the meaning fit their concept. But maybe they would be interested in what the creation process means to me.

Collaboration would be such a strong bond. When you're working with a designer and client, are you selecting pieces or are you creating pieces specific to the environment?

Ok, I can see how the last would definitely be important to galleries especially. Thanks. And thank you for the insight regarding first vs. third person as well.


Edit: David, "yet". There could always be an eventually.

do both, Vanessa...I need to keep a body of work on hand for the designer...I learn their style and know what will work with their choices. It never hurts to stay on top of design trends. I alays have what I call "decorative art" available as well....
One of my designers is my largest collector....there are several projects in her home that were created by both of us brainstorming...some of the favorites of my career.

Awesome idea, Marlene. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Vincent: "asked to provide an art statement but I have no extensive art background"

Marlene your advice is perfect for someone just staring out. If they could give a well thought-out sincere answer to 2-3 of your questions it would create a nice starting point. I've been in the gallery scene on and off for 30 years and have an artist statement lying around somewhere. But I think I'll rewrite a bit using your suggestion... thanks

You're very welcome, Vanessa and Stephen!

"What do you think of it? "

It is not what I think. It is what the jury thinks.

Do you know their criteria?

Vincent, I wish you look in the art competition.

Artist statements can take a lot of time and effort to get right. Fortunately, it was part of my assessment last year in my Fine Art degree to write an artist statement to include with our portfolio. I uploaded the finished artist statement to my website. You can view it from this link:

http://www.conorobrienart.com/artist-statement/


--------------------------------

Conor O'Brien
www.ConorOBrienArt.com

Just have someone who writes English very well edit your statement and give you feedback on whether it makes sense or not. I'm by no means an expert, but I would always edit my son's papers. I did this until he was a junior in college and the minute I stopped doing it, he got bad grades until he could do it himself and that took a couple of quarters and a lot of stress on his behalf. Your work is awesome by the way, I love it!

For the life of me, I can't understand why we, those that live and breathe in the visual world, are constantly required to put into words, what we and our art is all about.

I've never seen a poet required to draw a picture

Great point Roger! I'd rather let my art do the talking any day.

After reading all of your suggestions the art statement below is what I came up with to submit. This is my first art statement but I'm sure it will evolve as I continue on this art journey but for now I figured I try a honest approach. Thanks everyone!


Artist Statement


Vincent Spriggs II
Abstract Expressionist

Vincent Spriggs II is a local school teacher in Memphis TN that has fallen in love with expressing thoughts and feelings on the canvas. Vincent Spriggs II, began his art career after renting a art gallery on Valentine’s Day for his wife and seeing art compositions priced for $5,000 and above. Since Vincent always considered himself never lacking creative ideas he figured he would give art a shot. As Vincent jumped on the art scene many people acknowledged his unique style and encouraged him to continue producing art. Although stumbling across expensive price tags in an art gallery is what initially drew Vincent into creating art it is no longer the primary reason for why he continues to produce art. Choosing to stop painting is not an option because art is an extension of himself and his creativity that he loves to express. When onlookers and admirers alike view a piece from Vincent Spriggs II they can’t help but see and feel the love, creativity, and soul from which he paints. Vincent Spriggs II paintings are often inspired by his experiences with his wife, son, students, and real time events happening in the world.

Because the vast majority of people communicate with words, that's why.
Some people use sign language but if you don't know it, you'd be hard pressed to understand a word.
If an artist wants his story to be out there to the vast majority of people who will be exposed to it, it behooves him to speak the language of the masses.
Poets already use words, so that is not a good analogy, sorry, Roger.

That is NOT to say that words are the only valid method of communication but it is an invaluable aid to those who need and want to learn more.
The only artists that I am truly interested in are those who have written words about their lives and work. I don't care much for others' opinions, after the fact.
Gimme some of van Gogh's letters to Theo or Rothko's quotations and I am in heaven.

Vincent,
Those comments about the high cost of paintings are offensive to me as a fellow artist. I would suggest removing them.
They allude to the fact that you wanna make some fast cash easy.
That will not endear those with the moneyed pockets, to you.
Saying that it is no longer the primary reason you are doing art, is all the more reason to wipe it out.

I'm with Marlene on this one. Even if making money is your prime motivation for getting into art you don't want to say that out loud!

Marlene, I understand you like to read about the artist, but what should be more important, the artists words or his art? Why should an artist statement even be a factor for an art competition? What exactly is being judged?

Why does one have to be more important? I see it as both being important, David!

If some words help a viewer understand you or your work as an artist, why would you opt NOT to include them?
Perhaps, some may feel that the art must speak for itself.....think about that attitude....that's mighty snobbish of you to leave out the majority of people who need and want some help.


I could argue this point all year...it was the topic of my master's degree thesis in 1971 and not much has changed in the artists' attitude department, I am sorry to say.

Conor, Just a suggestion really boil down your statement.

Vincent,

When writing in the third person it can not be the daily private life of the first person.

It has to be what the art is, not how much money you are dreaming of making.

All of us newbies think of the money. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.
But the truth is almost none of us make that money. Only a few of us will. And it takes
a lot more time for the few to make it. It also takes a greater interest in the product, the art.

You need to define your art. And write the definition down in this statement.

Dave

Marlene & Burns: It is never my intent to offend anyone. I was just being honest about why I got started. I agree some comments need to be kept to oneself. I just did not realize that was one of them. I hope my art statement does not offend the juror. If it does I will take the loss and do better moving forward.

David: Your comment makes me wish I wrote in first person because I wanted to give off the daily private life. Thanks David for your insights.

Your private life as part of a definition of the art yes, but not who is down the street, moving etc......

What is your art?

Vincent, You are saying the same things repetitively in your statement.

Trust that people hear you loud and clear the first time

Dave

For instance these two sentences are the same or redundant. Go with one or the other. The reader can guess you dont hate your wife. The read can guess you were inspired, He can guess you have creativity. etc etc........ this is why you need to define your art. The reader can not or might mis-define your artwork.

When onlookers and admirers alike view a piece from Vincent Spriggs II they can’t help but see and feel the love, creativity, and soul from which he paints. Vincent Spriggs II paintings are often inspired by his experiences with his wife, son, students, and real time events happening in the world.

Vincent,
I know that was not your intention, which is why I brought it up....I felt you needed to understand how those comments will be perceived and merely suggested you eliminate them ;)
Everyone has to start somewhere...and asking for advice is a good thing...just be very careful about from whom you take advice. There are some newbies on this site who like to sound far more experienced than they are....but if you keep your eyes open, you will learn soon enough who to trust!

Vincent,

Judge the content of what is said, Newbie or not when it came to the artist's statement I know what I am doing.

Some folks are always up for a competition. I dont believe in competition.

Dave

Marlene, IMO if words are required for the art to be understood then the art has failed. I think you're selling the general public short too, the attitude that the unwashed masses can't understand art without words sounds elitist to me. I'm the exact opposite of a snob Marlene, I reject institutional attitudes about art that actually make it seem inaccessible to the average person, and IMO most artist statements do just that.

I reject institutional attitudes about art that actually make it seem inaccessible to the average person, and IMO most artist statements do just that.

David K,

That is why my mentor fails just about all Artist's Statements. He grudgingly said at least mine says something.

The word superfluous comes to mind. When something is superfluous it is highly questionable as to its merit. Shrouding the definition
of art in deep discussions becomes an inaccessible intellectual waste.

adjective
unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.
"the purchaser should avoid asking for superfluous information"
synonyms: surplus (to requirements), nonessential, redundant, unneeded, excess, extra, (to) spare, remaining, unused, left over, in excess, waste More

For the life of me, I can't understand why we, those that live and breathe in the visual world, are constantly required to put into words, what we and our art is all about. ... I've never seen a poet required to draw a picture.

Well, we "live and breathe" in a larger society. THAT's why. People in a larger society communicate with words. Language is largely how civilization operates. It is often the most common ground.

For the life of ME, I can't understand how those that understand creativity in the visual world are constantly overlooking that language is just another medium of creativity - a medium that complements their primary medium and, perhaps, even extends it a bit further into the culture.

I agree the "Language is largely how Civilization operates."

That is why intelligence is determined on how one uses and understands words.

This insistence that something doesn't exist until it's given a name, leads to labeling.

And to me, labeling often leads down a dangerous , destructive, prejudicial path.

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;"....Shakespeare


So Vincent,

If you have to say something about you and your work....keep it short and simple.

And to me, labeling often leads down a dangerous , destructive, prejudicial path.

Most certainly, Roger S.

And this is why we humans, as artists of language, always live on the edge.

Just as in creating a painting, we devise the best composition we can, and hope that it has the effect we might want without causing too much danger, ... by doing more good than harm.

... off to re-compose my artist statement into something more dangerous now. (^_^) ... just kidding.

Hahaha Robert!!

An artist statement is a way for a total stranger who is looking at your art to get to know you a little bit. Each person looking at art is different (of course). There are lots of things that the stranger, looking at your art, might like to know.

An artists' statement is "Tourist Information."
Some, but not all, viewers like the "tourist information" that's conveyed by an artists' statement - it helps them feel as if they know the artist a little bit, and it helps them feel as if they learned something about art. You write an artist statement about your art for the same reasons the historical preservation societies provide guided tours of the historic properties they open to the public. Some viewers (not all) like to be able to place the art in a cultural context, so they can try to understand the art the way the artist intended it to be understood -- they don't like to be left to their own devices to figure out what they're looking at. If they don't "get it" they don't appreciate it (went to see some rich dead guy's house, saw some old furniture & rusty farm tools, I was bored). Most people don't like that lost in the uncharted wilderness without a map feeling when they're looking at art. They feel more comfortable about the art if the artist can be a bit of a "tour guide." Especially if you do art that not everyone immediately understands, it's helpful to explain it. I see threads on FAA fairly often, by abstract artists, lamenting the inability of viewers to understand their art. Non-representational, conceptual, or process art are examples of kinds of art that non-artists often don't understand without a "guided tour."

I started appreciating the art at the Hirschorn Museum (Washington, DC, modern art) once they started posting brief statements about the art on the wall. Without the statements, I found it very difficult to understand why some of it was of any artistic value at all. A little bit of cultural context can go a long way. If Artist B's piece is a reaction to art by Artist A that I have not seen, or it's a reference to underground political symbols used in the war in [fill in the blank foreign country], it can help to have someone explain the reference.

An artist statement helps gallery personnel talk about you.
If a stranger walks into an art gallery, and gets interested in the art by one of the artists, an artists' statement gives the gallery staff something to tell the customer about the artist that they know the artist won't object to. It looks a bit unprofessional for art gallery staff to be unable to discuss the artists and their work with customers. As an artist, you definitely don't want gallery staff making stuff up or making educated guesses about you & your art, coming up with a lame line line like "this artist is a very private person," or repeating some not very relevant bit of trivia about you that came up in conversation that you never really intended to be public information. For example, maybe you got into a conversation with the gallery owner about your struggles with [fill-in-the-blank] that doesn't have a lot to do with you as an artist. But... if that's the only thing the gallery staff remembers about you at the moment a customer happens to ask about your art, and you didn't provide an artist statement for the gallery staff to use as a reference... that might be what gets mentioned about you. And it might be what the customer decides to talk to you about in great detail when s/he comes to the next art gallery open house to meet the artist who did her new favorite painting.

An artist statement helps customers who are looking for something specific.
Sometimes buyers want art for a particular purpose, and knowing something about the art/artist matters. One person, who came into our coop art gallery on a day that I was working there was buying prizes for the winners of a sporting event that she organized in Colorado. She wanted to be certain that the photography landscapes she bought were scenes of places in Colorado, and she also wanted to be certain that the artists were local artists. She also wanted copies of the artists' bios to accompany the photographs, so the recipients could read about the artists -- having the bios to accompany the photographs made them more special. She wasn't interested in even looking at art that didn't come with a bio.

So you never know. Different viewers get interested in different bits of information they find in art bios. Some people buy art because they feel a connection to the human being who did the art. Of course it can work the other way -- if the stranger viewing your art decides they dislike something about the artist. It's just information that you send out to the world that you, as an artist, think may interest people who get interested in your art.

very well said, Cheryl!

http://www.bridburg.com/artists-statement/

Just a small footnote here. I am changing what I do with my art.

I changed my line in my statement about rejecting abstract work.

I will be embracing abstract work from now on.

Life does move on. And with it art.

Dave....have plans will travel......

what are onstructs?

Marlene,

Did I have a typo? I cant find it.

ah I found my typo. Thanks Marlene,

Dave