Artist statement
While creating the art work is the main focus of most artists, it is also important to have an artist statement for the viewers to understand what the artwork was intended to communicate. An artist statement can be as short as one paragraph however it is not a thesis and should not be an essay.
There is really no set way to create an artist statement. I generally write in how I would explain to the viewers if I am not there to explain the meaning of my art and the thoughts and emotions I want to invoke, as it is not always clear. I am not an expert however this has helped me to write excellent artist statements for the past few years through my CSEC, CAPE and personal artwork.
There is really no set way to create an artist statement. I generally write in how I would explain to the viewers if I am not there to explain the meaning of my art and the thoughts and emotions I want to invoke, as it is not always clear. I am not an expert however this has helped me to write excellent artist statements for the past few years through my CSEC, CAPE and personal artwork.
Artist statements are written in first person in the past tense. You are writing down what you would say to the viewer and what you did to create the art piece.
You can start off by naming your piece, just as you would if you are introducing someone to a friend. If you do not already have a name for your piece, brainstorming with persons close to you can give you excellent ideas.
Continue by stating what kind of piece it is (drawing, painting, photography etc.), the theme you are trying to portray and providing a brief description of the materials used to create it.
Now you are going to explain what inspired you to create the art work and what it means to you. Whether you like how the composition looks or a series of life events or emotions that you wanted to portray in your own piece of art and want to start a conversation about the topic. This may be a bit harder for drawing students that replicate things that they are seeing without much creative input as the other expressive forms (I know. I did Drawing as well and this was the hardest part.) In this case you can explain why you chose these specific items and why you chose to arrange them in the way you did. I would recommend while you are creating the composition to keep in mind that you are going to write an artist statement for the piece.
The last thing to do is advise the viewers what materials you have used to create the art work and why. You can explain how the material gives a nice texture to the work that enhances the theme or the colours and values are associated with a certain emotion that you want people to feel when they look at your artwork. You can also state any challenges encountered when creating the piece and how you overcame them.
That is it basically. You can see an attached file of an example of some of my artist statements:
You can start off by naming your piece, just as you would if you are introducing someone to a friend. If you do not already have a name for your piece, brainstorming with persons close to you can give you excellent ideas.
Continue by stating what kind of piece it is (drawing, painting, photography etc.), the theme you are trying to portray and providing a brief description of the materials used to create it.
Now you are going to explain what inspired you to create the art work and what it means to you. Whether you like how the composition looks or a series of life events or emotions that you wanted to portray in your own piece of art and want to start a conversation about the topic. This may be a bit harder for drawing students that replicate things that they are seeing without much creative input as the other expressive forms (I know. I did Drawing as well and this was the hardest part.) In this case you can explain why you chose these specific items and why you chose to arrange them in the way you did. I would recommend while you are creating the composition to keep in mind that you are going to write an artist statement for the piece.
The last thing to do is advise the viewers what materials you have used to create the art work and why. You can explain how the material gives a nice texture to the work that enhances the theme or the colours and values are associated with a certain emotion that you want people to feel when they look at your artwork. You can also state any challenges encountered when creating the piece and how you overcame them.
That is it basically. You can see an attached file of an example of some of my artist statements:
artist_statement | |
File Size: | 116 kb |
File Type: | doc |