Artist Statement, part II

Winter Field
6 x 6
Private Collection

In my previous post, I wrote a bit about revising my artist statement and promised to follow through by sharing it. First, though, I need to back up a bit and explain how I came to be doing this at all. I am no artist statement fan- as I said, I have read too many that are pretentious and incomprehensible. And, I have read many that are, well, just boring- probably far more in that category- statements that didn't make me want to turn my head or click my mouse with breathless anticipation or at least curiosity about what this work might look like. So because of that and my "the work speaks for itself" philosophy, I never invested any time or energy in writing an artist statement.

Recently I contacted Alyson Stanfield with a marketing question. She asked me for my artist statement and noted that she could not find it on my web site. Hmmm-well, of course not. I sent her what I had thrown together the last time somebody asked for one, with a note saying it could probably stand to be "tightened up" a bit. Right. In the course of responding to my original question, Alyson generously offered some advice about how I might go about doing that ( I highly recommend her book). One of her suggestions was to go back to it each day at the same time and look for new ways to improve it. Doing that gave me the chance to think about what I really wanted to say- or not say- about my work and to weigh the amount of attention paid to different components like technique, influences and my overall aesthetic. The other and more dramatic thing I realized was that I could not have written this two years ago or perhaps even a year ago. I still don't know that having an artist statement makes one bit of difference to marketing or selling your work, and it does feel a bit like too much navel gazing. But, it can be a powerful exercise in gaining clarity- and for that reason alone, its invaluable.

Between Sunday and today, I edited it again and actually shortened it considerably. Who knows-maybe I'll get it down to one word! Here are the "before" and "after" versions. I let my husband read both versions-he's a pretty good judge of whether something goes too far on the "woo-woo" meter. He liked the second, later version best, and the word(s) "woo-woo" did not cross his lips, for whatever that's worth. I wanted the words to read the way my work looks, so that reading and then looking would be a seamless experience. Did I do that?

Before


In my work, I am concerned primarily with light and atmosphere, as well as mood. My paintings create a sense of quiet dignity in the landscape, evoking an inner standstill which allows a moment of reflection for the viewer. Using Renaissance techniques to apply veils of transparent color, combined with modern pigments, I produce a luminous glow in my work. I am most influenced by late 19^th century tonalist landscape painters, but I incorporate a modern sensibility into my work through spare design and choice of color.

After

I look for the extraordinary in the intimate, ordinary landscape - the moment when light and atmosphere create a bridge between outward movement and inner standstill, allowing a moment of reflection. A luminous glow, produced by using Renaissance techniques to apply veils of transparent color, is combined with a modern sensibility in design and color. I ask the viewer to look, and having looked, to linger.

Windbreak

Windbreak
8 x 10
Available at Deborah Paris Fine Art

”… in all nature, for instance in trees, I see expression and soul… ”
Vincent van Gogh, letter to Theo van Gogh, 5 November 1882

I spent some time this weekend preparing for a demo/talk I am giving tomorrow night at the Sherman (TX) Art League. This is the first time I've really demonstrated the indirect painting method I now use. Because that process doesn't really lend itself to a two hour demonstration, I did an underpainting which should be dry and ready to work on by the demo. I'll do a small underpainting to show the drybrush technique I use, and then work on the completed one to show how the glazes are applied. I also wanted to be prepared to talk about my work- what I paint and why- which, of course, is much more difficult than talking about technique. Recently I rewrote my artist statement. To be honest, I've always had a bad attitude about artist statements- perhaps because I've read so many that are totally incomprehensible and pretentious. The work should speak for itself and if it can't, writing an artist statement won't help. That said, the process of rewriting mine was more clarifying than I expected. For a short piece like that, I tend to write, edit as I go, and move on- a habit from my previous life I guess. This time, I went back to it over several days, looking at each sentence to determine how to clarify it, make it leaner, or whether it should be left out altogether. It ended up being about the same length but the focus changed considerably. I included much more about what I paint and why, than about how I paint it. Which is, as it turns out, what interests me most.

Postscript: This morning I had a half dozen emails from people asking me to share my artist statement. I had intended to post it here last night, but just as I was about to cut and paste, I realized I wanted to edit it again- just a bit- before going public with it. So, I apologize for the abrupt end to the post- I'll be back soon with the results of my labors.