Archive: Workshop your Artist Statement!

[TaLisa.]

open for feedback, thanks!

TaLisa. Artist Statement
The images I paint are symbols of strength and diversity, which is a reflection of my family and cultural background. My work illuminates universal beauty. I’m attracted to many types of flowers, often complex and colorful arrangements that I incorporate into my work. I study botanical illustrations to understand their function and design from an inside-out perspective. Besides nature, the simple elegance of black and white typography is also intriguing. This diversity of design elements is my natural aesthetic. As a mixed media painter, I use contemporary and traditional art techniques. Combining spray paint, ink, and oil to create expressive marks in a soulful and sophisticated manner.

 

 

[Michal Tkachenko]

Hello, TaLisa. Thanks for being the daring first to post your artist statement. I find them really hard to write myself.

I just read your artist statement without looking at your work. I will look, but sometimes I find it fun to get an image of what I think work might look like from the artist statement. Off the top of my head you leave me wanting way more! That is good and better than wanting way less. Throughout, I want more specifics about your family and cultural background that you talk about. All I can do is look at your profile photo and try to guess what it might be. It would give the viewer something really tangible to relate and link into your work with. Don’t be too safe by keeping everything general. What is universal beauty? Can you specifically describe it? Just substitute your description for those words. What specific types of flowers and arrangements and how do you incorporate it into your work? is typography just intriguing or does it inform your work? You mention a lot of things that seem to influence your work and it would be great to hear you really state them in a way which you are confidently in charge and the leading world expert in how they link in. Don’t sound hesitant about it. The last sentence I would leave out the words expressive, soulful, and sophisticated and let the viewer make those assumptions. Is that too overwhelming?

The main two points are: be specific and avoid generalities. Be really confidant and add a bit of ego in there. The hardest part is writing something in the first place and it is much easier to shape something that already exists.

Thank you again for taking that first step!

[TaLisa.]

here goes  🙂 answers for me & my process, to Michal’s tough but excellent questions.

• Wanting more specifics about my family and cultural background? Looking at my photo and try to guess what it might be? This is probably the toughest for me, because of my life experience with it. Women in my family have been very strong, positive, powerful role models for me (mother, grandmother, godmother, aunts, cousins). Sometimes too strong for our own good. I’m attracted to painting women with big hair (we all don’t have big hair), and don’t have the same urge to paint men. The cultural piece is that i’m Black. I am technically biracial – however i was raised in a Black home; 2 black parents, all black extended family. Unsure what someone sees when they look at my profile photos. Then my full name is totally misleading and outside of the standard norms for names in a hispanic culture. Its very confusing to others that are not in my immediate family. So after a lifetime of all this confusion, i wonder does it really mater? Should it matter? Why do people want to know this? It seems that when i tell them, they don’t want to accept it. I’m rambling now…
• Yes, I have been very safe with my word choices. I agree that I need to be confidently in charge.
• What is universal beauty? Can you specifically describe it? Universal beauty is aesthetically pleasing and/or inclusive for everyone, every race, every background, every culture. While my paintings will not be aesthetically pleasing to everyone, i have given them the invitation.
• What specific types of flowers and arrangements and how do you incorporate it into your work? A lot! off the top of my head i’ve done roses, anemones, ranunculus, magnolias, and my own spin off of all sorts of florals. From my studies, true technical botanical illustrators would probably hate my work, lol. Botanical illustrators were masters of detailing every nuance of their subjects, often from live flowers too. Just that amount of time and detail is fascinating. Contrarily, I’m an abstract painter and i paint quickly. Perhaps i haven’t arrived at the end vision of this exploration, but florals are very inspiring.
• is typography just intriguing or does it inform your work? i have used letterforms in my work. i often write into my paintings (my brushstrokes). Black & white typography is minimal yet bold, makes a statement with out all the fluff.
• Leave out the words expressive, soulful, and sophisticated and let the viewer make those assumptions? I would argue then, to also leave out my cultural background details and let the viewer decide. I’m not stuck on having that line in there. They are words that i connect with though.

anyone else can chime in.

 

[Michal Tkachenko]

TaLisa,

How fascinating your family sounds and your cultural background. One of my good friends is half Chinese and half Scottish and she talks a lot about self identity and what the present culture views as her cultural identity. Interestingly she says that most places she has travelled she is assumed to be native to that country. She has been to South America, India, Europe and the Middle East. I find that fascinating and I read an interesting mystery into your profile picture and images as well. So this would also fascinate me to see it woven into your work and artist statement too. I guess I love stuff like that and want to know more and more about it. It sounds like your work might also be quite a bit about exploring your identity too.

The botanical illustration influence intrigues me too. I want to know more about that mostly because I don’t know much about that type of illustration but also like them.

I love how you have described everything back to me quite boldly and in wonderful detail!

[TaLisa.]

Michal – thats is very interesting that your friend is assumed to be native in other countries! you are also correct that i’ve been exploring identity. i’m in process of writing more in my statement as Crista suggested. It might come out pretty crazy, but its just another draft. thanks again for all your help.

[Crista]

TaLisa, I’m going to chime in here too. I think that Michel’s insightful questions spurred you to think. But I want them to spur you to write!

When I look at your artist statement I see a lot of sentences that start to say something but then go into the next direction. Can you keep playing with it? Can you expand on some of these statements? That right, I’m asking, can you write another, longer, artist’s statement.

And maybe you’ll find that you want to leave some of it out. That’s okay. But right now, I think what Michal was picking up on, is that it feels fractured. You start to reveal something but then you stop and start to reveal something else. We get lots of tastes but nothing to chew on.

[TaLisa.]

Here’s what I have…

The images I create are symbols of strength and diversity. As a mixed media painter, I use contemporary and traditional techniques. Combining spray paint, ink, and oil to make expressive marks. I paint women to represent strength. These are not portraits, rather symbols of expression. Women in my family have been very strong, positive role models for me. I always create with the purpose of having a body of work that is soulful and sophisticated. I’m attracted to many types of flowers, often complex and colorful arrangements that I incorporate into my work. Botanicals are the most inspiring equivalent of diversity. This aspect reflects my cultural background. I admire the precision of botanical illustrations; however I work quickly in the developing stages. The pieces that I finish as abstracts are often created from a sense of true freedom in the studio. Besides nature, the simple elegance of black and white typography is also intriguing. This contrast of design elements is my natural aesthetic. My work illuminates universal beauty. I invite every person, from all races and backgrounds to consider that there is more than meets the eye. Or in my case, more than meets the name.

[Crista]

TaLisa, wonderful statement! I would give it some paragraphs because it is a confusing read to go from one topic to another. Bravo!

[TaLisa.]

Hooray! Thank you! i actually had it in paragraphs before i posted, lol. i think because i don’t 100% love the flow, especially the last section. But I am going to move forward with this one and i guess edit as i go.

[martina.delange60]

Hi Talisa, I like your latest statement. It is at once more general and more focused on your why , I think.

I am very conscious of the insanity of labeling people. You are “mixed” nothing – simply your wonderful, talented self! I recently spoke to a young woman who has an identical twin. She was very fed-up with the curiosity and ignorance and cheek displayed by relative strangers who ask her questions about her twinship 😉  People are just curious about anything out of the ordinary, I think. Maybe you should craft a kind of logo: an elegant standard answer to such queries. No need to explain all the details to every person. Irrelevant, surely?

[TaLisa.]

hi Martina – i meant “mixed media” as the art technique, not myself (if thats how you read it). that’s all still up for revision. i’d like to have  just a one line statement 🙂 maybe one day.

[Deleted User]

Thank TaLisa it great to be introduced to your art and the meaning behind it. I wonder how you would like others to feel when they look at your work?

[TaLisa.]

interesting question. i don’t intentionally create paintings thinking… “i want the viewer to feel ____ when they see this.” i have collected feedback about what others think about my work when they see it (empowering, bold, blissful, to name a few). but perhaps i should take more control and ownership of the message (that’s why i’m here 🙂 i know i want a very positive message. i’d want my devoted collectors to look at my work, appreciate uniqueness and elegance just from the piece. like there is something different about this painting.. cant exactly put my finger on it, but whatever it is, i need to buy it.

[Michal Tkachenko]

This is my current artist statement for two particular series that I have done.

Metal Head

I packed my bags and boarded a plane to Haiti to live and work as the pharmacist in a small hospital of a village called Limbé. I was a teenager with no pharmacy background. Upon arrival, the new president was sworn into power and life dissolved into a series of military coups, evacuations of foreigners, machete attacks and the complete disintegration of law and order. I stayed put through it all and survived. Then came the blow: a car accident in the Haitian countryside that would kill the person next to me, shatter my skull and half of my face, leaving me with three permanent, stainless-steel plates in my head. These are my markers.

Years after Haiti, I passed by a mirror and caught sight of my reflection. The fractures and misalignments were evident, and suddenly aware of how stripped-down life is, it seemed vital to reflect and re-look. The Metal Head series comes through continuous hours in front of a mirror, face-mapping for signs and markers that follow a journey.

[Crista]

Michal, I re-read your statement over and over, completely intrigued. I would suggest you move the second sentence to be the first, for impact.

But your second paragraph leaves me wanting more. What did you discover through the remapping of your Metal Head? It’s a fascinating exercise and very brave.

[Michal Tkachenko]

How exciting…feedback! I certainly wrote the first paragraph much easier than the second. In fact, I struggled so much with the second that I passed it to another artist originally who helped rewrite my convoluted ending for me. But yes, now that you say it…I only mention the work briefly at the end and I don’t say much about it. I like your suggestion of having a pen and paper handy when making the work too. I almost need to have a Metal Head Part III that helps me search for what I have discovered through the process.

What an interesting impact it would be if I switched the two first sentences. It is really nice to get an outside opinion.

Thanks for the feedback.

[TaLisa.]

Michal – wow, what a story! now i have to go back and find your site. i am especially attracted to your statement about how stripped-down life is. Perhaps we have different meanings of that, but to me, its why my own statement is kind of minimal.

[sandrajordan]

wow now that is a fabulous statement, Michal, really makes me want to know more about you and your work. It’s really dynamic. Crista’s suggestion of swapping the sentences over is great.

[tawelch]

Hi all, Terrill Welch here. I use variations of my artist statement depending on the context. Here is the full version from my website…

As a full-time artist living on Mayne Island off the southwest coast of Canada, I paint my experience of our natural environment.

Stripping away the human illusion of our separation from nature is at the core of my work. This illusion extends to a presumption of a separation between land, water and sky. I explore the interdependency of these natural elements. During the creative process, I am repeatedly reminded of humanity’s dependency on nature. Trees speak to me as if we shared a breath. I long for the rhythm of the sea or the flow of a river. The sky is like music to me. In my art I am compelled to express these connections.

Moments of engagement with my everyday world are portrayed in these paintings. These works primarily reflect the surrounding landscapes though occasionally a still life becomes the subject of my work. The brushstrokes render the light, shadow, movement, smells, sounds and emotions I am experiencing as I paint. The resulting paintings are my complete sensory experience, expressed.

In the paintings, there is an ongoing conversation between myself and the viewer. The work is an invitation to join me in exploring the relationship between the innate elements of our environment and ourselves. My intention is for the viewers to find themselves within the landscapes as I have – filled with curiosity, wonder and discovery.

For private viewing of Terrill Welch’s work in eco-friendly strawbale timberframe home studio contact Terrill via email at [email protected] or telephone 250.744.4560.

[Deleted User]

Hi Terrill, I love your artist’s statement. It instantly connected me to your work and I love the sensory nature of it all. Thank you for sharing!

[tawelch]

Thank you Lily and you are most welcome. I am pleased that it worked for you.

[mijwallace]

 

Hello there, I’m Mark Wallace, a digital landscape artist from Hertfordshire in England. I have been painting constantly for over four years and work on a smartphone or tablet using several apps which simulate real painting and drawing techniques. I love working on computers and want my art to reflect that aspect of myself.  I’ve worked in a number of ways to create my art and one my favourites is to simply let the paint decide what direction the piece is going to take. This sounds like a haphazard way of creating art, but I truely feel it allows aspects of my subconscious to emerge which would otherwise remain subdued by using a more representational approach.

Fingerpainting on a three inch screen means it can be challenging to get the right result in a piece, and a large scale print of the work is significantly more impactful than what I see when working on the tiny screen. When I start a painting using this approach I select the tube tool, choose the colours and squish the paint out onto the canvas. I then grab the palette knife and work the colours together until I’ve smoothed the paint down to a textured finish. I step back and see what the paint has to say, and it usually tells me what the piece is going to be, I start working close in on the detail of the focal point in the painting adding objects or people to give it a narrative and get the viewer asking questions like, what is going on in the scene? Who is that person, what are they doing there? What is the mysterious shape in the distance? Is there danger? What will happen next? In more abstract pieces I try to ask visual questions and let the viewer interpret what they see, it’s fascinating to hear feedback wildly different from the ideas I have on these pieces.

[Crista]

Mark, I’m not sure how to give feedback on your statement. It’s not reading as a statement yet. There’s a lot of HOW you make work, which loses your reader in the techinicalities.

I am yearning for more WHY you make art.

I want you to write something that makes me want to look at your work right away.

I urge you to study some of the other statements for inspiration. And then, yes, that’s right, start writing again. You can do this! You’re not that far off! But I believe it can be better.

[sandrajordan]

Here is my artist statement that came about on the last Working Artist course.  I’d love any feedback on whether you think it fits my work or if anything is missing.  My website is http://www.sandrajordanphotography.co.uk  Thanks

 
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>I capture images that create space to breathe, like visual meditations.</span></p>
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Immersing myself in the act of photography as a type of meditation allows me to slow down and appreciate this beautiful world that surrounds me.  I search for simplicity in remote places and beauty in abandonment, going beyond the depths of the surface to construct sensory escapes that silence the chaos of this hectic world.</span></p>
<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Much of my work centres around the expansive and remote Arctic, but even when photographing in an urban environment, I still seek the moments of solitude. </span></p>

[sandrajordan]

Hmmm not quite sure what happened there, seems to be some additional weird text! Here it is in its proper form.

I capture images that create space to breathe, like visual meditations.  Immersing myself in the act of photography as a type of meditation allows me to slow down and appreciate this beautiful world that surrounds me.  I search for simplicity in remote places and beauty in abandonment, going beyond the depths of the surface to construct sensory escapes that silence the chaos of this hectic world.

Much of my work centres around the expansive and remote Arctic, but even when photographing in an urban environment, I still seek the moments of solitude.

[Deleted User]

Sandra such a wonderful statement that has a real air of calm about it, just like your work.What first drew you to be inspired by these scenes? What’s the story behind your passion?

[sandrajordan]

Well that makes me very happy that you said that Lily, because ‘calm’ is what I try to create in my work so it’s nice to know the statement matches the work.

I used to work in the film industry as a production manager making TV commercials and the job was really full on and at times very stressful so I started taking photos as a way to slow down and combat that hectic part of my world.  I also live in London which at times I find too busy!!  On top of that my mind is ALWAYS crowded and so I think my imagery is an antidote to all that, both in actually physically taking the images but also the end product.

My work is totally based on gut reaction, I either instantly absolutely love a scene or it doesn’t stir anything in me at all, there isn’t an in between for me. Subconsciously I’m drawn to the minimalistic paired down scenery of a place, reducing it to it’s basic appearance without any interruption.  Interesting, now I’m writing this I think there is more deep delving to do as to why I take what I take, so thanks for getting me to think about it a bit more!!

[Deleted User]

That’s great Sandra thanks for taking the time to fill me in. It’s sometimes really good to sit back and think why we are drawn to particular things, it is easy to miss some reflection – especially in the chaos of a London lifestyle…!

[mikeatravels]

Fine Art tells a story without uttering a single word: it evokes emotion. From small gestures to dramatic actions, it is my intention as an artist to incite a reaction from my viewers. If you can identify with a piece, I have accomplished my goal.

My work is realistic in nature, and I work to communicate through what I see. The main goal of my work is not just a realistic depiction of the subject, but a thought-provoking display of their true character. In portraits, I focus on capturing the passion of the subject; I want their face to tell their story through expression. The position of the subject’s mouth, or the gaze in their eyes, are two small details that provide insight into someone’s character. I seek out the nuances which give the viewer an insight into emotion.

I frequently work off of photographic references. Working from photographs saves the subject a good deal of time and fatigue from maintaining a pose, and also allows me to work with subjects over great distances.

[Crista]

Mike you had me riveted until that last paragraph. Would you consider losing it? because otherwise I think its perfect.

[mikeatravels]

Thanks Crista, I have no problem removing the last paragraph.

[sandrajordan]

great artist statement Mike.  I would agree with Crista, I’m not sure the last paragraph adds anything to the statement.

[mikeatravels]

Thanks for your suggestion Sandra, I agree with you and Crista.  I’m going to remove the last paragraph for my statement.

[Kirsteen Titchener]

Hi Everyone, nothing focusses the mind like knowing other people will be reading your statement rather than skipping over it in passing on a website (which I know no-one really visits 🙂  This is my first serious attempt so any thoughts gratefully received…

<hr />

My photographic art is strongly influenced by a fascination with human nature, decades working in the field of psychology and close observation of my own emotions.  Often my work examines just one aspect of human nature or emotion at a time.  In my most recent series, The Missing Series, each image begins as a self-portrait. While there is a clearly recognisable human element to the final photograph I use digital manipulation to remove some significant pieces the viewer might expect to see.  The removal of the ‘self’ is then replaced by a component that represents what it is to be human.  This serves to strip away some of the features we instinctively focus on in our everyday interactions.

The combination of photography and digital manipulation offers a way to create a new image that is not captured via one shutter press. I do not hide from the fact that my work is manipulated – it is clearly the case and it is a strong and important feature of the work.  It allows me to break the rules and create impossible images that still appear somehow plausible. Elements that we inherently understand as necessary in our everyday visual reality, such as perspective and direction of light, are maintained to create a believable photograph.

 

[Mark Butler]

Love it – it got me to check out your website to see your images, so I’d say it works

[Kirsteen Titchener]

Well that is great news, thanks Mark

[sandrajordan]

Hi Kirsteen.

It’s a great statement.  One tiny thing – wonder if there was a way you didn’t repeat the word ‘series’ so closely together – In my most recent work, The Missing Series, each image begins as a self portrait.  Something like that, just a thought.

I’m interested to see what the others say about the ‘not hiding’ part. To me it sounds like you’re saying others do (which maybe they do!).  I hope you don’t mind I did a little re-write below but of course it’s your work and your statement and that may not read well for you so hope you won’t be offended.

The combination of photography and digital manipulation offers a way to create a new image that is not captured via one shutter press. Manipulation is a strong and important feature of the work allowing me to break the rules and create impossible images that still appear somehow plausible. Elements that we inherently understand as necessary in our everyday visual reality, such as perspective and direction of light, are maintained to create a believable photograph.

[Kirsteen Titchener]

Thankyou Sandra, well spotted on the series…series point.  I’d tweaked so much couldn’t see the wood for the trees.

The perspective you raise about hiding photoshop work is one that seems to rumble around the photography world, at least at conferences etc. I’ve attended and one I find an amusing discussion (as I consider myself more of an artist than a photographer I don’t usually care all that much whether an image is or isn’t manipulated unless it is to create unrealistic ideals of ‘normal’ women but that’s another discussion altogether).  For my work though I thought it might be an important discssion point for some so wanted to express that I’m putting it out there and not pretending it is anything other than manipulated.  Its a long running thing but perhaps would not be of interest to non-photographers.

All thoughts gratefully received, thanks so much for your input 🙂

[sandrajordan]

I’ve recently started thinking of myself more as an artist than a photographer and I have to say I have no issues myself if I wanted to manipulate something in post production to create what was in my vision.  I guess when I was commenting before it was with my ‘photographer’ head on!

[Vicki]

I have a love for history. It started when I was very young. Throughout my life and travels, I have had opportunities to tour one historical site after another, whether it was a home dating back to times of the American Revolution, Civil War battlefields, colonial government buildings, a sunken WWII Japanese airplane, Japanese caves on the western Pacific islands of Guam and Saipan, or countless museums. I discovered that the more I looked at old photos, or visited locations of historic events throughout the world, the more I found myself being drawn into those images and locations, sometimes feeling almost as though I could have been there. That is what I want viewers to feel when they see my art — a chance to look into a world where they can feel transported to that time, that place, if only just for a moment.

This is why I am drawn to architecture as a subject matter. I like trying to convey some feeling of being there, being present in that moment. My main medium is watercolor and pen. I am beginning to explore history through the use of other mediums such as color pencil, oils, and soft pastels. My interest regarding subject matter, however, is not limited to architecture alone. I am also interested in botanicals and landscapes.

[Deleted User]

Vicki, great and clear statement. I wonder about just flipping the paragraphs around and starting with introducing your interest in architecture and moving into explaining why? It would be good to hit the reader immediately with your interest and then allude to why. Just something to try!

[Memet Burnett]

I agree with Lily about bringing up the Architecture interest, then backing it up. I love what you have written.

 

[mijwallace]

Thanks Crista for your feedback, you’re absolutely right, I’ll have another go and explore I feel and why rather than how.

[mijwallace]

Here is an updated artists statement based more on personal experiences and identity

The place I was born and where I grew up were very different, from a fishing villiage on the north coast of Scotland to the wild beauty of Africa, where I lived for 20 years, a place unspoilt and rich in culture. Much of my work comes from those places and is mostly representative of memories or surreal versions of landscapes.

My love of the sea started with paintings of coastlines and the sea’s interaction with the land, the world beneath the waves has always fascinated me so I’ve explored this realm too and some of its inhabitants. Working in London has recently inspired me to create my own cityscapes and some versions of the city as I see them in my mind.

[Mark Butler]

First stab at an artist statement:

Sculpting for me is re-discovering the art of play, but with heavier machinery and a lot of heat!

My influences often have a scientific background, in the microscopic world and the amazing forms that can be found there and their unseen influence on our world, or the layering of mapping information onto a landscape. I aim to pass on this wonder of the unseen through my work.

I have a fascination with the texture of decay and the mixing of different media. I love the surface of rusted steel, but combining it with the shiny coloured and textured surface of a bronze object bring both to life. After perfecting the art of bronze casting, I now try to introduce deliberate ‘failures’ into some of my work, embracing the unexpected and intriguing results these can produce.

[Deleted User]

Hi Mark, your statement is great. I think the last paragraph is the strongest and most interesting, do you think maybe playing around with the structure a bit could form the second draft? Just to see what it would read like!

[Mark Butler]

<p class=”western”><span style=”font-family: Arial,sans-serif;”>Thanks Lily. This is my second attempt – do you think it’s better or worse?</span></p>
<p class=”western”><span style=”font-family: Arial,sans-serif;”>I have a fascination with the texture of decay and the mixing of different media. I love the patina of rusted steel, but combining it with the shiny, coloured and textured surface of a bronze object bring both to life. After perfecting the art of bronze casting, I now try to introduce deliberate ‘failures’ into some of my work, embracing the unexpected and intriguing results these can produce.</span></p>
<p class=”western”><span style=”font-family: Arial,sans-serif;”>My influences often have a scientific background, in the microscopic world and the amazing forms that can be found there and their unseen influence on our world, or the layering of mapping information onto a landscape. Taking these influences and forming them into a sculpture often happens in my mind’s eye, or as the result of sketching ideas. Making these visions into physical works can often be a challenge, but it is one I relish, and it gives me great pleasure to finish a piece I have coaxed from a rough sketch into a finished sculpture. Sculpting for me is re-discovering the art of play, but with heavier machinery and a lot of heat!</span></p>

[Helen Fraser]

In the process of making a textile, the craftsperson applies their concentration in a meditative fashion, repeating patterns and actions over and over until the piece is complete.  In my art making I use drawing as a meditation.  It is the medium that gets me connected most quickly and deeply to my feelings.  Immediate, it shows me where I am at, right away.  It is honest.  And by drawing textiles and observing them closely I am aiming to get to the heart of the work and it’s maker as a type of honouring of those who have gone before me.

For the last twenty years I have worked as a Psychologist and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist in private practice in Prahran, Melbourne.  This work is about using myself as a tool to facilitate the growth of another person’s mind, so they can think about their thoughts, feelings, desires, dreams, pain, longings and hopes.  Slowly, session after session I see people’s guard come down which allows a mourning process to unfold, softening their spirit in the process.  Being in the privileged position of witnessing the slow unfolding of another’s psyche deeply impacts on my own.  The intensity and beauty as well as the exquisite sorrow of this work is a type of soul poetry which I am searching to express and honour in my drawings and textiles.

 

[Deleted User]

Lovely statement Helen and really made me want to look at your work right away. I think the background really helps and is essential to an Artist’s statement.

[Memet Burnett]

Wow. Very powerful.

[beverley.healy3]

Well here goes – This is my draft statement. I have already had to half this – never realised I had so much to say! –

I always loved to draw – and always drew people – in fact I was often asked to sketch various pop stars for my friends when I was at school and was happy to oblige! I moved into paint and I now focus on the face and the beauty of the face, using egg tempera on gesso board. I came to this medium in the final year of my Fine Art Degree and enjoy the freedom it gives to depict fine detail and its softness of colour. I work from a mixture of photographs and life – I like to know or meet my sitter to get a feel of their personality for myself and create initial sketches. I spend time with my images before I choose the right one, then draw my initial drawing on transfer paper which is then relayed to the board, as tempera gesso is sensitive and I do not want to muddy the colours or disturb the surface as far as I can help it. I seek to create a work that is not merely a likeness but a beautiful painting, a jewel to adorn the wall of a home. Work on my portraits is intense and time-consuming and often engages the perfectionist in me but I love seeing the face appear and finding the exact colour tones to portray the jewel-like beauty of the piece. I know if it is not working that soon it will and that gives the process an edge that can be scary but exhilarating!

My pastel work, on the other hand, allows me to throw away my perfectionism and make “mistakes”. I saw a documentary of an illustrator whose name I have sadly forgotten; she splashed paint, added collage and ripped things out without feeling at all precious about her work. At the time that hit a note with me and I sat with a piece of paper and a favourite song and simply prayed that it would become something – and it did. I was not precious at all in my method and I didn’t care if my anatomy was stylised. I splashed dyes and paints on my page and after this just drew what I felt using soft pastels. The painting became a discovery. The pictures spoke back to me and they were often voices of encouragement or illustrations to particular verses or songs. They came from the heart and have encouraged others as much as they have spoken to me. I see these paintings as a prayer – a two-way conversation between myself and the Creator. Painting this way has helped me to see that all art has the potential to engage in this conversation and I now see my portraits in the same way, although the method is very different.

Whether it be from the head or the heart, I paint to explore the colour and beauty in the world and to offer up a jewel to brighten the life of another.

[Memet Burnett]

I really enjoyed reading this!