I chose an artist statement because an artist statement answers the questions what, which explains what the artist’s work is, why which goes further into details about the influences and inspirations, and how, which describes the process behind the work. An artist statement is composed of not-too-long sentences that use fancier terms to describe the work, unlike other statements that use regular, straight forward vocabulary. I chose to do an artist statement because I feel like my work would be better described in an artist statement, mainly because it answers the questions what, why and how which makes it more unique because artists have different ways of describing their work and artists get inspirations from different places. One feature of an artist statement is the description of how the artist made the work, the tools he/she used and how long it took to complete the work. I use different programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to alter images and combine them with texts to express my ideas, thoughts, and feelings. I use black and white images because I like the classic look and they tell different stories depending on how the audience wants to interpret them. I focus on making art based on my beliefs and the things that I want to accomplish and the things I live by. When I make a piece of art, I want the audience to get something from it. Another feature of an artist statement is a brief description of what inspired the artist to make the work, whether the artist got the inspiration from experience or another piece of art. I get a lot of my inspirations from people I look up to. I use my role models as inspiration to create art. One of the people I look up to is Lebron James. I look up to him not only because he plays sports and is famous, but because he is someone who made it to the big stage and had nothing as a kid. I also get inspired when I see black and white images. Sometimes I might see an ad campaign that’s in black and white and I get inspiration from that. Fashion brands like Dior use a lot of black and white images for their branding. I am also inspired by Roy Decavara, an African American artist who is known for engaging and imaging the lives of African Americans and jazz musicians in the communities where he lived using Noir style photography. Details about where the artist made the work, why the artist made the work and the history behind the artist’s work can also be found in an artist statement. Whenever I make a piece of work, there is always a reason behind it. Sometimes I make work to inspire myself, other times I make work to inspire others. I also make work when I feel like I need to express myself. Using Adobe Photoshop is a great way for me to share my ideas and my thoughts with the world. I don’t like to express myself verbally which is why combining texts and images always allows me to express myself more freely. An artist’s statement is also supposed to explain how your work fits in with the history of art practice. Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso both used collage as a distinctive form of art at the beginning of the 20th century. My art is similar to a collage but instead, I use black and white images to express my feelings. According to Artwork Archive, “what to avoid when writing an artist statement”, “This isn’t a time to prove your background and knowledge of art theory and history. We trust that you have the accolades and education to be where you are” This indicates that unlike other designer statements, the purpose of an Artist statement is not to show that you have knowledge of art, the purpose is briefly to inform the audience about your work by answering the questions what, why and how.
“Artist Statement Guidelines.” Getting Your Sh*t Together, www.gyst-ink.com/artist-statement-guidelines.
MacFarlane, Rachel. “How to Write an Artist Statement.” Format, Format Magazine, 15 Sept. 2017, www.format.com/magazine/resources/art/how-to-write-artist-statement.
“What to Avoid When Writing Your Artist Statement.” Artwork Archive, www.artworkarchive.com/blog/what-to-avoid-when-writing-your-artist-statement.
“How to Write an Artist Statement.” – The Creative Independent, thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-write-an-artist-statement/.
