Artist Statment Help

only you know what kind of technique and style you have. its hard to say because your style sort of switches after each image, so it would probably be hard to describe. you can keep it simple and just say you like surreal stuff, or that you like to draw.

the only consistent theme i'm seeing is that you seem to like death, depression and a bit of weirdness. but the pope? throws that off, along with the dancer and the dog, all which throw off that theme. oh wait he has no mouth.... it would really depend on what you entered. and what theme you chose, whether it was political or maybe just dark?


----Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I can only go on what I’ve done in photography competitions, but it might help out. Also, keep in mind it can change from competition to competition as the judges change.

Typically, when I submit a series of images I explain what inspired me to create those works (intrinsic or extrinsic forces), then I expand on how it has changed me as an artist or the impact it’s had on me, in general.

If they want to know about your process, then just talk about how you created the work. What inspired you to create that work, why did you make the artistic choices you did, what state of mind you were in when creating them, and so on. Most contests have a character limit, so keep it concise.

If possible, go back and check out previous winners. Some competitions allow you to see what the artist wrote, so it might give you an idea of what they’re looking for.

Hi Kaitlin -

Here's some information that might help you...

https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-write-an-artist-statement/

Good luck!

Hi,

You need to not add any special characters.

We only allow A-Z letters, numbers, and . and ,Abbie
-------

Artists Community and Technical Support Manager | Shopify/Pixels Representative
"When nothing is going right, go left."

Use Fine Art America if only selling household goods
Use Pixels if you want to sell everything

Thank you for the advice everyone, and particularly for the link Becky, that was the most helpful "How To" I've read! I still suck at this, but I think I'm getting somewhere at least now.

Remember this Kaitlin...

It doesn't need to be "Profound". Write it straight forward and simple first. Then go back and make your edits to the simple statement.

I think I should specify that my main issue is that it's not being presented as an "artist's statement", which I have written before and don't find too difficult. It's rather the way that they've framed the question that is tripping me up. This is the question proceeding the allotted space for your description:

"Artistic approach
Explain your development, your intentions and your goals in creation and production. As a supplement to the other details, your artistic approach should not provide repeated information but throw new light on your work. What you write here will enable us to determine your potential. The "artistic approach" explains your profound motivations and what you are working towards. In addition, it demonstrates the originality of your work, i.e. what distinguishes you from other artists."

Normally I try to be concise and avoid profundity, etc, but it seems like they explicitly want that here.

You’re welcome Kaitlin!

Here’s another one that might be even more helpful ;-)

https://www.artybollocks.com

Oh, brother, on their “Artistic approach” required statement!

I would only be able to say… I like to make pretty, complicated, peculiar, and/or silly pictures and I work very hard at it.

"As a child I was always told two things; I was very “particular” and good at art. I think my initial interest stemmed from the meditative peace I felt when focused on trying to perfectly copy what I saw in life onto a blank page, something I still feel to this day. Unfortunately, while my artistic abilities improved with age, my mental health worsened and I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in my adolescence. My attempts at a formal art education, specifically a year spent enrolled in an illustration program at Toronto’s OCAD University, were cut short due to my increasing compulsions and phobias. I spent a lot of time worrying about forgetting who I was and how I felt, as keeping track of conversations and things I enjoyed would inevitably be buried by the constant buzzing and ticking in my brain. Whereas before my art pieces were always striving for a sense of realism, the long moments of isolation led me to shift to a more personal expression. I spent a lot of time worrying about forgetting who I was and how I felt. They are an attempt to capture significant moments, conversations, and feelings I’ve had in my life. Sometimes political, often dark, occasionally humorous. It is through these images that my internal self can be expressed and a moment in time captured as I experienced it. My goal in doing so is to create a connection with the viewer by exposing how I view the world in a way I struggle to articulate otherwise."

^Me struggling to make sense and hating every moment of trying to sound "profound". All I can come up with are disjointed sentences and I'm stuck laughing at how silly and disingenuous it sounds.

No, it’s great! It doesn’t sound silly or disingenuous at all; on the contrary, it sounds very sincere :-)

How about these few changes…

As a child I was always told two things… that I was very “particular” and that I was good at art. I think my initial interest in drawing stemmed from the meditative peace I felt when I focused on trying to perfectly copy what I saw in life onto a blank page, something I still feel to this day. While my artistic abilities improved with time and practice, my mental health worsened and I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder in my adolescence. My attempt at a formal art education, specifically a year spent enrolled in an Illustration program at Toronto’s OCAD University, was cut short due to my increasing compulsions and phobias. I was very worried that I was losing track of who I was and how I felt, as keeping track of conversations and things I enjoyed would inevitably be drowned out by the constant buzzing and ticking in my brain. Previously, I was striving for realism in my work, but the long moments of isolation led me to shift to a more personal expression. My drawings and paintings became my attempts to capture significant moments, conversations, and feelings I’ve had in my life. Sometimes political, often dark, occasionally humorous. It is through these images that my internal self can be expressed and a moment in time captured as I experienced it. My hope is that I create a connection with the viewer by exposing how I view the world in a way I struggle to articulate otherwise.

Thank you so much Becky!! You're really a gem!

You’re so welcome Kaitlin :-)

Good luck with the competition! And by the way, just by entering, you’ve already won :-)