How to write an Artist Statement

What is an “Artist Statement”?  Your way of communicating with the outside world about your work.  Written component to your art work  It offers insight into a single piece or body of work  Discussion of the components of your art, and explanation of your decisions/meaning  Gives the artist a chance to explain the personal elements in your art work

Format for your Artist Statement: To accompany the sculpture you created you are to write an artist statement which should follow this format…  one page minimum (maximum: two pages)  typed (12 pt. font, max. 1” borders)  double spaced  CREDIT LINE (top left hand corner)  Three paragraphs (content to be explained)

Content of your Artist Statement: Paragraph 1 : Use this paragraph to introduce your sculpture.  State the title of your work - be sure to underline it!  Explain the medium (medium means what it is made from) since we all used found objects and glued them together, that type of work is referred to as a mixed media assemblage. What choices did you make?  Introduce the general meaning of your work, like a topic sentence. What is the basic meaning of this work?

Content of your Artist Statement: Paragraph 2: In this paragraph, explain key decisions you made.  What is the focus (emphasis) of your piece?  Explain the specific meaning / symbolism of your piece  -the material, objects, colour or basic structure you chose communicates something to the viewer, what do you want that to be?

Content of your Artist Statement: Paragraph 3 : Use this paragraph to conclude your artist statement.  Perhaps the making of this work has brought awareness to the type of person you are?  You can talk about what you enjoyed about this project or what you found frustrating, what does this tell you about yourself?

How you will be marked: COMMUNICATION – 20 marks How well did you communicate your thoughts / ideas? How well did you write your statement (spelling / grammar)? Did you follow through on required format? Required Length Typed & Double-spaced Credit line included

Linda Mackay The Essence of Motion Mixed Media 2015 There is something both frustrating and exciting in creating an art piece. Certainly the warmth of excitement when I felt proud of my creation is what drew me to the visual arts as a child. I continue to get this feeling today, although it comes with more difficulty as I set more challenges for myself as an artist. Currently I am a Visual Arts teacher and have been working with secondary students (grades 9-12) for just over a decade. I love being able to help young adults achieve their potential as artists, whether it was just an interest for them or a career path. It has only been over the past couple of years that I have become gradually more involved in the Fine Arts Society of Milton, with the goal of setting aside more time for developing myself as an artist.

Although I am relatively new to Mixed Media, I have been painting in acrylics for about 20 years now. This medium is wonderful for its flexibility and vibrant colours. More recently I have taken several classes to learn about mixed media techniques, which have helped me to explore new possibilities while painting. Approaching this Pan Am mural project, I was inspired by the addition of the dynamic new velodrome recently opened in Milton for the Pan Am games. It was thrilling to see the energy of track cycling and the general enthusiasm to get active and physically involved that has been brought, as a result, to our community. I began this piece with the concept of creating my own stamps that would resemble bicycle wheels and layering these impressions to create a sense of organized chaos. There are also some minimalistic line drawings of human figures throughout showing the motion of a variety of different sports. As a final addition, I added some three dimensional elements to create an added sense of texture and depth. Hopefully the final result gives the impression of energy and motion involved in the many sports featured during the Pan Am games.