Artists Statement

I am taking a landscape photography class this summer and as part of the class we need to write an artist statement. It has to be short - no more than one paragraph and the professor has given us some guidelines but I'm still not sure what to write. Any ideas of how to go about this would be great.

Thanks!

Hali

If this was my assignment I'd try to incorporate what I'm trying to convey in my images, something like "wild birds in natural light and habitat" for most of my work, "what entropy means to me" for a big chunk of the non bird stuff.

What is it that catches your interest? What causes you to press the shutter release? What "message" do you want to convey to your viewers?

Try to keep the statement real, as well, whatever that may mean for you. I've read a lot of them that basically mean nothing.

There was once even a random artist statement generator which produced text more coherent than some statements I have read... (Anyone know still know that website?)

A quick search brought up http://www.playdamage.org/market-o-matic/.

Martin,

That's it! I haven't seen that one in a long time. Too funny!

-P

haha, that link is super. Too true, too funny

I'll score you one point for every one of the words in that link used in your actual statement...

Hali,

Joking aside, if you read enough of them you'll find they fall into two distinct categories - the ones written as marketing tools, glorifying the artist (generally in 3rd person) and the ones where the artist is really trying to tell you something about why they do what they do (generally in 1st person). The former is much easier and you just pile on the adjectives. The latter one is much harder to write since it forces you to first rationalize your motives and the sources of your creativity. Some artists never get to fully understand that about themselves until they've practiced for years.

Guy

Stan Rose's work investigates the nuances of vibrations through the use of stopframe motion and close-ups which emphasize the Symbiotic nature of digital media. Rose explores abstract and exquisite scenery as motifs to describe the idea of hyper-real space. Using sublime loops, vectors, and allegorical images as patterns, Rose creates meditative environments which suggest the expansion of art...

I knew i should update my NPN profile...

Hali,

When I wrote mine, I considered the comments that I have heard from clients or overheard at shows and incorporated them into my reason (philosophy) for photographing. I considered "Why do I photograph or what makes me different from others?" Thinking on that, allowed me to create an artist statement. Talking it out, the thoughts, as if you were being interviewed by a newsreporter helps.

Hali,

Go to the 'bio' or 'about' link on the website of your favorite photographers to sample how a good artist statement should read. The best ones capture the essence of the portfolio in words and give some insight into why they photograph and, most of all, what inspires them.

A few of my favorite bios:

Guy Tal
Steve McCurry
Michael Gordon
Lucie Debelkova
Darwin Wiggett
Patrick DiFruscia

Let me show you some cool stuff.

Wow, thanks everyone these are great leads and ideas (and I did play around with that generator..the results were hilarious) I've gone and researched most of those links. I just need to actually turn off all the distractions now and write it, and a bio also. He makes a distinction between the two.

Say what matters, man... say what you love, Why do you do what you do? What are you trying to do?

I've gone down that road of trying to make an "Artist Statement" like a corporate "Mission Statement"... there's a big difference.

In art, people want to know about you, what motivates you, why you do what you do, what you love etc. Make it passionate!

Being able to put your work into words has enormous impact, both on your audience and the work itself.

If you can say concisely what you're trying to do, you will be able to do it better.

Best of luck!