There are many different ways to write an artist statement and eventually you will develop your own style. But to begin we should keep things simple and clean.
Most viewers (in a gallery or on a website) do not want to read anything longer than a paragraph or two; no more than a page. I always think that the more concise a statement is, the better.
View this example of an artist statement by University of Montana MFA student Dave Tarullo:
David Tarullo
Artist Statement
The center of my work is exploration. Each and every piece I create allows me the ability to investigate my world and inner landscape. I create to better understand. Most of what I learn is in the process of making. During my process, I am constantly in conversation with the work and searching for meaning and understanding. At a certain point I find the core. That is when things come together. The search changes from expansion to contraction and I begin to understand what the piece has been telling me all along. Then I distill and refine its message for the audience.
I want the audience's first response to be visceral, to be drawn in through its aesthetic and have a pre-verbal experience that relates to the concept behind the work. Giving them the intrigue to search further for a deeper understanding of the work and how it relates to them.
And here is an example of Dave's 'wall text' for his UC Gallery show 'Un-knowing: The Subtle Mark'
The Subtle Mark
Is there a human presence, or a subtle mark in contemporary digital communication? Did we lose the essence and beauty of the handwritten note; first with the typewriter, then with email, and now with the text-message? Have we flattened language and sacrificed tone? Have we traded true human interaction for immediacy and a false sense of connection, or are we on the cusp of understanding and mastering a new means of being closer?
Are you wondering what the art looks like? Can you guess? (you can check it out in the slideshow below)
Dave is using his text and statement to provoke thought and understanding in his work.
Artist Statements ARE NOT meant to DESCRIBE your work, but instead they should help a viewer derive meaning and interpretation.
The web link below will help you to develop YOUR artist statement.
Write An Artist Statement!!! <-------- CLICK HERE