Maggy Aston Student Site

 

 

Written Artist’s Statements  Advanced Drawing: Maggy Aston

 

 

Required: All students are required to submit a brief written statement (one to three paragraphs) about each independent project explaining the materials or methods used, the order in which the various image layers were applied, and the thematic concept or intended meaning of the work. This may include visual sources employed, artistic influences or inspirations, and discussion of the relation between form and content.

 

Advanced students (levels 3 and 4) are required to write a one page cumulative statement about their entire body of work. Advanced students are expected to discuss the art-historical context of their work, as well as the relation of the work to broader social, environmental, technological, or philosophical concerns. Students will photocopy their statements and distribute them to the class during midterm and final critique group critiques.

 

Suggestions for Writing an Artist’s Statement

 

If you continue to make art after you graduate, you will be asked to write statements. Galleries, collectors, websites, graduate MFA programs, arts grants, as well as the CAL Senior Thesis course, all require an artist’s statement.

 

There are no definitive models for writing artist’s statements. Each is unique according to the artist and the context in which the art is being shown. For instance, a statement may refer to a single work in a group show, a specific body of work in an exhibition, or an artist’s entire body of work. Some artists state their intentions clearly, while others prefer to focus on techniques and materials, leaving the meaning of the work open to the viewer’s individual interpretation.

 

Here are some possible approaches.

 

You may want to begin by describing how you first became interested in a particular subject or medium.

 

You can describe your working process; you can talk about what materials are being used; or you can discuss how the images evolved.

 

At some point you should try to articulate the relationship between the form (color, composition, application of media, etc.), and the content, or meaning, of the work.

 

Next, you might describe some of your artistic or creative influences, or explain any literary, philosophical, cultural, or historical ideas at play within the work. Artwork may also be discussed in relation to your own life and experiences.

 

Lastly, it may be a good idea to summarize your intentions or suggest possible directions for future work.

 

 

Here are a few things you may want to avoid:

 

 

Don’t assume the reader knows you or understands your work. Even though you may be writing a statement about a drawing assignment, you should write it as if you were a professional artist with an unknown viewing audience.

 

Avoid being self-congratulatory or self-critical. The success or failure of the artwork is for the viewer to decide.

 

Avoid lengthy, long-winded statements. One to three paragraphs is usually sufficient, and a page at the very most certainly enough. Try not to use terms that you do not fully understand. Write in you own voice and keep it simple.

 

 

Questions for Artist’s Statement:        Submit 1-2 paragraph Artist’s Statement or answer at least 5 of the following:

Attach to project and submit for grading

 

 

 

How did you get the idea for this piece?   /   When did you first become interested in this subject?

 

 

 

Describe your working process.  /  Why did you use these materials?    

Why did you use these colors or apply the medium in this particular manner?

 

 

 

Describe your artistic or creative influences.  /   What motivates you to make art?

 

 

 

If your work is abstract, describe the images or effects you were attempting to suggest. What was the original source material for the abstraction?

 

 

Describe the relation between the form and content of the work.

Examples: 1. ) “For the final layer I applied drips of blue watercolor and let them stream down slowly. I tried to make it look like rain on the surface of a windowpane to suggest a sense of melancholy. 2.)“I painted small pink bubbles in the background, and larger ones in the foreground to create a deep space that seemed cheerful and buoyant.”  3.)  “I threw red and black paint at the surface and slashed at it quickly with a large brush to suggest a state of agitation and violence. 4.) “The room was dark, and before I shot the photo, I set up a single light bulb to throw stark shadows against the walls. This emphasized the psychological drama and tension between the two figures.”

 

 

Are there any literary or philosophical ideas behind this work?   Are there visual references to popular culture, science, or art history? Explain:

 

 

Describe the appropriated images in your work and explain why you chose to borrow another’s work rather than draw from life or from your own photographs.

 

 

 

Discuss the work in relation to your own life and experiences.

 

 

 

Describe how the image evolved from your original intention.

 

 

 

What are you trying to express to the viewer?  /   Did you achieve what you set out to do? / Does it matter to you that others understand your work?

 

 

 

Who or where is your art audience? Do you think there is one group of people more likely to appreciate or understand your work than another? Describe your ideal viewing audience.

 

 

 

If you had the chance to make this piece over again, how would you do it differently?

 

 

 

Did you learn anything through the creation of this piece that suggests a new direction for the future?  Did you discover anything that you would like to recreate in your next piece?