Artist Statements

Every year as winter sets in upon us, I revisit my artist statement. Since a good artist statement is a fluid work, it seems only right to check in and see if it still represents me. Perhaps the biggest obstacle that I encounter is not the writing itself, but the editing it down to meet the word count limit for artist grants. The goal is to say what you need to say in 100 words or less. It sounds fine, until you try to do it. The sparse opening lines above are already 88 words. That may be part of the reason why artists have statements that link together the biggest, most complicated conceptual terms that they can find. These unintelligible statements that we have all produced may be the result of trying to make writing fit in the little white box on the screen.

There has been a growing push to have artists be savvy creative writers, grant writers, and project plan writers. Throw in the writing of budgets and proposals and you will see that an artist needs not only to be a writer, but both a creative and an academic one, on top of what they are actually supposed to be doing which is art. The learning curve is huge. They always say that once you have it written, it is only a matter of tweaks. But for me, someone who enjoys writing, it seems like I spend most of my time butchering my prose into a haiku like 100 words. It is a test of word efficiency. I think that is why so many statements sound exactly alike. It is a matter of proven word power. Some terms have grown to be more useful in saying a lot in terms of describing the creative process. This is also known as talking the talk. The problem is that the "talk" all sounds quite similar, and it has little to do with the work that the artist has created.

So how to we show our true selves to a panel of our peers? How do we appear outstanding in print so that they actually view our work? I decided to turn to the pros and see what they had to say on the matter. I invested in Ariane Goodwin's book, Writing the Artist Statement-Revealing the True Spirit of Your Work.I will spend the duration of my Holiday weekend reading it and I will report back with my findings. To be continued...

The Winter Studio

The Science lab that never ends...a view inside my studio

An entire month has gone by once again. It was a productive month full of proposal writing, prototype creation and display. It was a time to gather all things: materials, research, books, and every ounce of wit that I could muster. It seems that all signs are directing me to just keep going forward in whatever increment possible. I find it very easy to sleep these days, drifting off to the sights of new 'creatures' floating above my head. I think I have created the world's scariest mobiles, but to me they are dreamy even if they are

comprised of taxidermy beasts.

The novelty of the sea never fades, nor does my love of objects. I have been experimenting with new textures while trying to be more aware of my simple palette choices. The stark nature of off white bone and shell seems right with the cast away spools of ivory wool. Just as they all complement the clean lines and minimal works that winter inspires in me.

After a big push of work and reflection, it is now time to refill myself with an infusion of culture. Jazz, classical, ballet and even sport are going to fill my mind and heart again after these very long days. I think it is a just reward for having worked myself through the holidays. Maybe my holiday is due.