Describing My Work

Like all artists, my style has evolved over time – new elements and approaches appear and others receed.   Since I’m in the midst of moving my studio and my home, almost everything is packed away and right now I have lots of time to reflect on things rather than being actively engaged in creating something new.

I’ve been considering what I really want to do with whatever time I have left to create art.   In fact, I was struck by a remark to this effect that enamelist June Schwarcz made about herself.   She is quoted in the June/July 2012 issue of American Craft:  “With a limited time to live, there’s a decision to make every day – what to spend it on, what to create.”   Age aside, we each have a limited time to create – we just don’t know what that might be – years, days, whatever.

Like many other artists, I’ve struggled with describing my work and my focus when writing my Artist Statement and I revisit the writing often.  I’ve been in several classes that included this topic and I own several books that touch on the subject, but I still have difficulty expressing my feelings on paper.   Like others, some elements of my designs have receeded in importance.  I’ve rediscovered some forgotten approaches to jewelry and fallen in love with new techniques, so in some ways I feel as if trying to describe this on paper is writing about a moving target.

The current issue of American Craft  also includes an interesting article about writing the Artist Statement.   Things that stand out to me in the article are suggestions to make the artist statement an extension of the work itself,  to describe what influenced the development of your work, and to get “behind the scenes” in some way to add depth to your description.  Since I’m already in a reflective mood, this article is inspiring me to take yet another look at my artist statement.   I’ll let you know what happens.