Artist Statement Guide
Artists are often asked to provide an Artist Statement and/or bio for exhibits and other purposes.
For NESBA exhibit artist statements, please include:
A small photo of yourself (optional)
Your name and contact info (this might be just your email address)
PARAGRAPH 1 - a brief overview of
a) How long you’ve been painting
b) What your experience is / what you do in your other life
c) Professional affiliations
Write it in the 3rd person … EXAMPLE: Sarah Roche is the Founding Director of the NESBA and teaches at the Wellesley College Greenhouses where she is Education Director for the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture Certificate in Botanical Art program. She majored in Botanical Illustration at the University of the West of England UK, and her work is in collections both in the UK and USA. She moved to the States in 1995. Sarah is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Copley Society, Boston and a gallery artist at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset. She lives in Cohasset with her husband, daughters and three mad dogs.
PARAGRAPH 2 - A brief artist statement, just talk about your process and painting approach. Can be very short.
Write it in the 1st person with quotes … EXAMPLE: “Throughout my life, the challenge of recording the intricacies of nature has been all consuming. I gain satisfaction from the process of translating observations into the complexities of line, tone, shape and color while learning about the beauty of the world around me. When I study a plant before I paint it, I spend time observing it from all angles, looking, touching, feeling and only then, sketching. I try to find the soul, the spirit of the plant. As I learn the plant's character and become familiar with its personality, a relationship develops between us and has a marked effect on my finished painting. Capturing the surfaces and textures in my painting of Baby Carrots was exciting. It always surprises me that you can paint such a complex subject with such a small palette.”