​Artist Statement:
(worth 20pts) Typed!
Write a one page paper with a minimum of three paragraphs explaining yourself as an artist. Be sure to include examples and details to support your thoughts.  Includes information about you as an artist... Some things you could include are: your history as an artist, favorite mediums, favorite subject matter, someone who as influenced your work in the past, your future goals for your art.

Minimum 5 Best Works of Art (from any year) - must fill space so if they are small you might need more then 5.

Tags for each piece:
Artist's name, title, medium, and sale price or NFS.

POINTS WILL BE LOST IF YOUR SHOW HANGS LATE
Showcase is worth 15 points (Min. 5 works, tags, statement, Hung on time)
Quality 3 paragraph statement is a separate 20pts. A late statement will affect the on time score.

​Total Showcase Score = 35pts
HOW I WROTE MY ARTIST STATEMENT IN AN HOUR...For many artists, writing an artist statement is not easy, especially when you haven't been writing them already for years. When coming up with my first post-graduate artist statement, I scoured the web looking for an easy and simple guideline on writing a good artist statement. Many of them had pages of information on all the "Do's and Don'ts" of writing them, and generally just an overload of information. I wanted a simple and straightforward approach that would give me some real content for my artist statement. Questions, I wanted just some simple direct questions and an outline to guide me to the right things to say about my art so I could explain it to anyone. 

I found the basis of my artist statement by asking myself a few questions based on my art and the processes behind it. The questions allowed me to directly focus on the important aspects of what motivates and drives me to make my art. And to figure out what I think about my art, before I start to worry over what other people might think about it. All of this put together, along with my half-way decent writing skills, allowed me to write a professional artist statement in about an hour (with a little extra time to let it sink in and go over it again).

The information below is summarized into a one page downloadable file at the end of this post!
Ask yourself these questions about your current works, and write down the answers (in one  or more sentences):

·   Why do I like to make art?
·   What makes my art special to me?
·   Who or what inspires me? Why?
·   What materials/techniques/processes do I use? Why?
·   How is my work different from others?
·   What does my art look/feel like to me? What does it say or do?
·   What limitations/rules do I give myself? Why?
·   What did I learn from making this art?
The content within these answers will help you to start to fill in the details of your artist statement.

Your artist statement needs to be at least three paragraphs and no longer than a page.  Make sure to speak in the present tense (“I am” not “I was”).  Also make sure to speak from the first person (“I, me, my”) perspective.  Your artist statement should include words and terms that everyone can understand, and should be a true representation of you and your artwork. Be nice to yourself and your art, save the critiquing for the critics!

The general outline of a simple artist statement can look as follows:

1)      General Information
a)      Why you do what you do
b)      What you want your work to say or do
c)       Rules and limitations you give yourself, or why you don’t
d)      Influences and themes within your works

2)      Specific Information
a)      How you make your art: processes/methods/techniques
b)      What your art looks likes: colors/themes/marks
c)       What makes your art different from others
d)      How you make decisions through the process of creating your art

3)      Summary Information
a)      How this work grew out of prior work or experiences
b)      Why this art is special to you
c)       Obstacles and lessons learned through making this art
d)      Reflections on this work

4)      Biographical Information (OPTIONAL)
a)      Age, Region, Early influence/start
b)      Education
c)       Other personal tidbits or awards (but save most of it for your Artist Resume!)

Start filling in the information you have from your answers above, and extrapolate from there.  You should have a concise and accurate artist statement in no time at all! Read it through out loud, to a friend, make sure it sounds like you, and explains your art to anyone.  Good writing and happy creating!

CLICK HERE TO READ AN ARTIST STATEMENT I WROTE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR USING THIS GUIDELINE
One Hour Artist Statement.docx
Download File
Here are a couple of other short and simple things I found on writing an artist statement: 
http://www.saic.edu/media/saic/pdfs/lifesaic/careerco-opcenter/workingartistsseries/Handout_WorkingArtist_WritingYourArtistStatement.pdf

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/6491363/

How I wrote my artist statement in an hour.... by Whitney Rolfe

Teen Artist Commissioned by President Obama for Official Portrait

 OK, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. But it would be pretty awesome, right?  

My name is Catie Prechtel. All my life I loved to create- whether its through drawing, painting, taking photos, sculpting, or sewing.

I think there is something special about being able to translate your thoughts and emotions into a tangible medium that everyone can see and understand. I feel that art is a way for me to record all of my most important desires, dreams and epiphanies. Art is a powerful way to communicate, and I definitely intend to pursue it in my future. I am still considering whether or not I will go to art school in my first years of college, but I will always be studying it no matter which school I attend.

Because I love many different subjects like art, science, literature, world cultures, and philosophy, I know that I will have many opportunities to express my thoughts through art. I'm hoping to discover what I'm really about, so that I can share my message with the world.

My favorite mediums are graphite, pen, watercolor, photography, and collage. I love to employ vivid colors that say something about me. I'm really excited to be taking a photography class that will give me materials to create some exciting collages.  

​Currently, my favorite subject matter includes robots, Russian nesting dolls, and octopi. Oh, and Frederick Douglass, but that's just because we're soul mates (I'm not obsessed- I'm focused). However, the main subject that I really enjoy is portraiture. There's something magical about the human face, and how it can convey so much thought and emotion simply through the positions of the facial muscles and the angle of the jaw. I have a hard time focusing on scenery and still life because I feel like there is no emotion in them. People are by far the best subject an artist has to communicate an idea.  ​
I have been very lucky to have a supportive network of family and friends who encourage me in my artistic pursuits. From what I understand, it will not be easy to become a fine artist, it is so competitive, and it's hard to find work. Despite the upcoming difficulties, I know that I can make it, as long as I work hard and do what makes me happy.  

As far as art in the family goes, I seem to have a lot of it.  My grandpa is a fine artist who works with oil to create famous historical battles. My uncle is a graphic designer for commercial ads, and my father is a professional photographer. My mother has always held an interest in art, and my sister is an aspiring chef/fashion designer. I find every member of my family to be a source of inspiration, and I'm so lucky to have them.

Here are some quotes that I find to represent my artistic values:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~Pablo Picasso

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~Scott Adams

​Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in. ~Amy Lowell