High Fairview School Visual Arts Program Artist Statement Guidelines
Title of art work: (22 point ARIAL FONT BOLD CENTERED) Think of a title that will help viewers understand the work of art and or grab their attention Full Name: (18 point ARIAL FONT CENTERED) Message: (14 point ARIAL FONT LEFT JUSTIFIED) What do you want to say to your viewers through your work? 23 full sentences Explanation of decisions you made about your work: (14 point ARIAL FONT LEFT JUSTIFIED) Good examples are a description of your piece including: details, size of piece, angle, theme, composition. Medium (digital photography, color or black & white film, mixed media, acrylic, oil paint, pen & ink, computer graphics, Photoshop, Illustrator, colored pencil, pastel, etc. What influenced your style? Don't explain how you made it, but why you made it the way you did. 45 full sentences Conclusion: (14 point ARIAL FONT LEFT JUSTIFIED) Bring the artist statement to a close, what did you want to communicate visually to you viewer? You may form an opinion about the process and or results but be brief and concise 12 full sentences Helpful Hints: Artist statements need to be typed
Artist statements must be written in full sentences Do a grammar and spelling check before printing your artist statement Read your draft out loud to make sure it flows & makes sense! Have a family member, friend or teacher read & edit before turning in a final draft Be sure to save all versions of your artist statement on your computer in case you need to make changes, or copies of your statement for an art contest.
Sample Artist Statement:
American Flag # 1
Neil Douglas
Through this work I aim to combine influences from traditional painters and illustrators with a modern use of photography as a research tool. I hope to be able paint pictures that capture times and places that have and continue to be a source of inspiration. This composition aims reflect to society's unquestionable faith in the authenticity of the photographic image. Being of a generation that has grown up surrounded by photography, from newspapers to billboards, my work reflects how as a result I view thought and dreams as photographic forms. Working on large canvases, the surface encourages the viewer to contemplate the image as a whole whilst also being able to move closer and view the variety of values and mark making that combine to build the final image. The works of artists such as Edward Hopper and Norman Rockwell have proved a constant source of inspiration to my style. American Richard Estes whose New York landscapes perfectly illustrate an example of photography's relationship to painting have also served as an inspiration to my work.
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Foursome
Bruce Savadow
For many years I worked exclusively in black and white. I always liked the emotions and moods black and white photography conveyed, and I still favor it. What I enjoy the most is working with patterns, light, shadows, and silhouettes. In February of 2002 I was in New York City. While walking through Manhattan looking for something to photograph, I was noticing people's shadows as they walked along the sidewalks. In Manhattan the sidewalks have lots of very old grating and are full of interesting cracks in the concrete, which, along with shadows, create many patterns and graphics. While in Manhattan I produced the photo "Foursome" It has always been important to me to print my own work. The idea of taking my negatives to a lab for someone else to print always made me feel like I was doing half the job. So much of the creativity is done in the darkroom. You can make decisions on cropping, lightening or darkening certain areas of the print, and so much more. Another person cannot make these choices for you. It's your work; you have to decide for yourself.