At first I collected a bunch of artist’ quotes:
“Ancora Imparo” (I am always learning) Michelangelo
“To See Far is One Thing, Going There is Another” Constantin Brancusi
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing” Salvador Dali
“Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art” Andy Warhol
But then I read the link about artist’s statements and did a bit of Googling, and I realized what you’re looking for is more like the following:
Textile Artist, Sharon Boggon (from her website, www.inaminuteago.com):
Aware that when people encounter textiles, they want to touch the work, I attempt to provoke the desire to connect. In my work, both online and off, I aim to tap into a basic need to act in relationship to others. I use textiles and stitchery to seduce, draw people into the work, and act as a metaphor for the urge to connect with others in society. The desire to touch a textile, the need to connect with the work in a physical sense is also a metaphor for the internet and virtual communities. I am an artist who is interested in the connections between textiles and digital technology. I am interested not so much in what the technology can do but how people are using the technology. I see the internet as an extremely interesting cultural artifact which is constantly ‘under construction’.
That seemed to get at it rather well. So I did a little research along those lines. And I came up with this guy, Stuart Land, of Reseda,
California, from the World Artist Directory:
Sculpture, paintings, photography, water fountains – My art spans many media, styles, and disciplines. In sculpture, I am noted for my very realistic human figures, as well as the ability to copy exactly the idea or rendering supplied by a client. I can and do work in any style as I have sculpted for many major motion pictures, theme parks, hotels, museums, and universities.
For fifteen years I was one of the top sculptors in the Entertainment Industry and now I bring all my knowledge and ability to the world stage at a fraction of the cost because my studio is based in Thailand. Aside from making my own work, I can design your project or work from any design you supply. I can finish a project in any medium, whether it be Fiberglas, bronze, or on occasion, marble.
Having worked for many of the leading sculpture companies in the states, running many projects, and doing cost analysis, I can say that our prices are mostly fifty percent that of stateside. Since I know many sculptors and companies in the states, I can work with them in installing any project that need such requirements.
For a more complete idea of all that my studio is capable of, please visit my Web site at www.studioSL.com. Please don’t hesitate to drop me a note about any concerns or questions.
Which made me wonder if the above is too lengthy; the information on the Bios and Artist’s Statements page seems to favor one paragraph. But the guy above does tell a lot about himself. Is it too much? Critically, I find it a bit premature for Mr. Land to solicit my concerns; he hasn’t done anything for me yet. I’m concerned his statement runs on.
Then I found Richard C. Horne, of Kent U.K.:
Words are the vehicle for the writer, the poet and the thespian. As I am about to demonstrate, I am none of these. Instead my imaginative skill is applied to representations of the natural world or figments of my imagination through the medium of paint. Or, as Paul Critchley puts it, I “sit in a room and spend my days using a stick with hairs at one end to put coloured mud either carefully or haphazardly onto a piece of cloth”. The result can be pleasing and, on the rare occasion, transcend to the poetic level that I strive for. But, as Sickert allegedly stated, “never believe what an artist says, only what he does.”
Which seems a bit… I don’t know, vague, perhaps?
The artist statement should convey the essence of what we are all about like a good jacket cover in a popular novel. It should contain vital information about our style, include a contact reference, and, most importantly, hook the reader: draw them in and make them want more.
Sure.
That’s why, half the time, I think the guy writing those jacket blurbs is a better writer than the novelist himself. Unless they’re one and the same. And then, good on you.
The way I see it, the page is constructed so that my contact information is going to be sort of a header, or a sidebar, and the statement will be a contained section adjacent. So now it’s crunch time. Boil myself down to an essence of a paragraph. Fortunately, that’s an assignment for the coming week.
“I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s” – William Blake
