Guest JBaymore Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 I am certainly in favor of someone being able to speak and write intelligently about their work, and the development of an artist's statement helps the work itself to develop (and vice versa)........ however................ http://www.pixmaven.com/phrase_generator.html best, ......................john PS: There is some absolutely incomprehensible BS written and published on artwork. Particularly by those attempting to somehow "puff up" the significance of their work. "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance.... baffle them with .... " ......... well.... you know the ending to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 So true John , some write better than their art pieces look... I am lucky to have a older brother who is a writer to help me out with things like this.. I am not the best with words and he is not the best with his hands but you put both of us together and you have 1-helluva team <-- text talk lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Although I am not a painter, I think that the iconicity of the purity of line notates a participation in the critical dialogue of the 90s. Thanks John. I am now amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindySchnackel Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Agree w/JBaymore's method. The first time I wrote an artist's statement it was because it was asked for, for a show, and I had no idea the subject was so controversial. Thank goodness, because if I'd known I was supposed to be filled with angst, or take a stance about it one way or the other, I'd have gotten writers block. Because I proceeded so innocently naive, I just wrote pages of stuff like John said, similar to when I had to write papers in school. I knew only a fraction of those words would end up being used. Each time I've revised it, my aim is to make it shorter, better, fresher. A huge benefit of doing one was that it taught me how to talk about my work, too. That has been really handy in shows. BTW, I'm new here, and primarily a painter. Just getting back into ceramic hand building after not having done it for more than 20 yrs. My instructor sent me a link to this page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 The art festival applications that ask stuff like this I truly dislike: "Please submit an artist’s statement which describes your work and how it fits in with and supports the mission of the festival." Basically not only do you have have have a strong artist statement for your work you also have to have it explain to them why your statement is in love with their statement. I had to look up their mission statement and then scratch my head and try to get their statement clear in meaning then try and rewrite mine to do what they wanted. Took me a week of writing and scribbling to do what I thought they wanted. I should state I didn't get into the festival. I guess my statement and theirs had irreconcilable differences... Do you think therapy would help? I have applied to my back up festival instead and am awaiting their judgment. They were almost as bad, wanting a detailed writing on my artistic journey along with my previous festivals, shows, awards, etc. Oh and please feel free to attach additional pages to do so. After being as brief as possible for so many years THIS confused me... What do you mean add additional pages you mean I'm not telling you my artistic life's story in 100 characters? What ever shall I say that takes that many sheets of paper? Now the panic sets in gee I only have 3 paragraphs maybe I am not good enough because I haven't written a novel length description! Awards? Yeah I have a whole box of ribbons around here somewhere. I actually had to go dig them out because I couldn't remember the precise awards, shows and dates! I CAN remember which shows I sold the most at, which galleries sell the most, and which of my clients have purchased more than a dozen of my pieces but awards and ribbons to me were never the point. Let the people vote with their dollars if they value my work they vote with green paper if they don't they give that green paper to someone else. I had a friend who never sold a single piece yet had over 3 dozen awards... Is he more successful than I because of this? It must be kind of chewy to eat ribbons for breakfast. Festival applications can bite you on both ends. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted May 20, 2015 Report Share Posted May 20, 2015 I would take a workshop on writing an artist statement. As it stands I don't apply for shows because I don't have one and don't know what I would say. I've searched online and have also clicked the links in this thread and nothing I've found so far helps me to write one or feel remotely comfortable knowing where to start. I have artist statement block!I am old now and never had seriously to apply myself to this problem, but here is what I would say today, after all these years: "I want to make ceramics that you want to hold, to have, to give and to share. I will take advantage of every new thing I learn towards this goal." I guess this has always been my implied statement. The hang tags for my '70's mugs said: To choose a cup for you, handle the handle, caress the lip, invite your fingers to fondle. Take it From hand to mouth. - Hand to Mouth Pottery (it was the '70's) Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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