How To Write An Artist Statement

[robertkernodle]

There's a fine line between being pretentious and being informative. Creating an artist statement walks this line in a most precarious fashion.

I've spent years trying to perfect how I tell people what I do, and I still have to work at it every single time,... as obsessively as I work at the art I try to talk about intelligently.

[janetlthomas]

There's a fine line between being pretentious and being informative. Creating an artist statement walks this line in a most precarious fashion.

I've spent years trying to perfect how I tell people what I do, and I still have to work at it every single time,... as obsessively as I work at the art I try to talk about intelligently.

Do you have any advice for other artists that you've learned from your years of trying to perfect your artist statement? Or, ways your artist statement has worked for or against you as far as art sales? What in the end do you feel is important in an artist statement?

[robertkernodle]

Janet,

The most important thing is perfecting a writing style that honestly reflects what you do without sounding too forced, frilly, overly academic (unless that's what you honestly are, and then you've got to use the clearest possible language to convey those complex ideas).

As far as affecting sales,... I'd say: at the point of sale,... talk as little as possible, explain as little as possible, only answer questions. As far as providing an information sheet, I'd say keep it fairly short (maybe 250 words or so). Have several descriptions: one worders, one liners, one sentencers, one paragraphers, one pagers, ... and maybe a thesis, if you plan on being a philosophical visionary or cultural activist.

If it sounds funky to you, then change it. Read it over and over and over again, at different times of the day, on different days. Don't say you have a statement "done", until you can read it each and every time, multiple times, and sense that there's not another darn thing you can do to make it you.

I know this is still vague, but practice, practice, practice. Maybe put up a statement here that we can look at together and talk about.

I don't check in here as frequently as I should, so maybe email me, if you post something important to consider here in the forum.

RK

[imagesbyeve]

I just wanted to thank you for being informative. I have read almost every post within the Art Business section and was just about ready to be disappointed in the lack of information in over 3/4's of the postings.... Eve