How to Write an Artist Statement & Artist Bio Like a Pro
When you’re putting your art into the world by entering exhibitions, seeking gallery representation, or applying to publishing opportunities, you need to have a polished artist “presentation.” A big part of this presentation is a well-written and effective artist statement and artist bio. Your artist statement (which should be written in the first person, using “I”) helps introduce your art, giving the reader an understanding that will help them better appreciate your art when they look at it. Your artist bio (which should be written in third person, referring to you by your name and then either your last name or a pronoun in subsequent references) will introduce you as the person behind the art, giving the reader a peek into your background and life experience.
How Long Should My Artist Statement And Artist Bio Be?
I find that artists are asked for statements and bios in three different formats depending on the opportunity: long versions (with a 300 word limit), shorter versions (with 150 word limits), and extremely short versions (1-3 sentence limits). For this reason, I suggest you begin by writing a long version that you edit down to a powerful 300-word statement (or bio). Save that version, and then edit it down to 150 words. While this is painful at first, you might be surprised to see how clarifying it is: sometimes you are left with a more focused and powerful statement! Finally, save your 150-word statement and bio and trim it down to a bare-bones sentence or two version that you can use for situations when that’s all that you are allowed. Pro tip: These mini versions are your “elevator pitches” for who you are and what you do!
Writing Your Artist Statement
It helps to do some soul searching and journaling before writing your artist statement, because an important goal of the statement is to communicate why you make art and what your art is about. You may be thinking, “Oh no, I don’t make art that has clear social messaging! I paint abstract flowers, for goodness sakes!” It’s ok. Ask yourself about why you have chosen to paint flowers. Is it because certain flowers hold special memories for you? Are you a lifelong gardener? Do flowers represent the life cycle to you? Your art can be all about the materials: it’s totally legitimate to make art because you love the squish of the paint and the scrape of your pencil on the paper. But until you describe your experience of that in your artist statement, nobody knows about that but you.
Your artist statement is a good opportunity to explain any choices that you have made, such as why you gravitate to a certain color palette in your current body of work or why your current work is of a certain scale. Perhaps you went on a trip and the colors of the place you visited have inspired this new series. This information will help the reader connect with the work and understand it better.
Lastly, you should mention what the work is made of and the techniques you use. For example, you may be submitting images of your artwork along with your statement, but it may not be clear exactly what the art is made of. It helps to say something like, “I work in acrylic on large canvases and cradled wood panels. I enjoy laying down paint using everything from brushes to my fingers to popsicle sticks to spatulas. Each painting involves a complex layering process…” This type of detailed explanation helps the reader to imagine how you work. When the reader examines your art, they will look for spatula and finger marks.
Writing Your Artist Bio
It can be so hard to speak and write about ourselves—I get it. When it comes to writing your artist bio, try to think about everything about your past and current life that has any relevance to your art. For example, you could write about childhood experiences with art that were impactful. If you studied art in high school or college, include that. Perhaps you didn’t go to art school but you have pursued a lot of art education as an adult—you could include that if you’d like, but you don’t have to. If you’re self taught, you can include that or not, depending on how you feel about it. There are no rules. One thing to keep in mind if you worry that you’ll be judged by the education (or lack of it) in your artist bio is that you are being judged on your current artwork, not whether or not you have a BFA or MFA. If the work is good, it’s good!
It helps to let people know what country you’re in, and then get even more focused. If you’re in the United States, I’d recommend putting the state and the region or the city. If you’ve been in exhibits or publications, you should mention that but not list them—that’s what a resume or CV is for.
What aspects of your personal life or hobbies are relevant to your art? For example, if you enjoy scuba diving and it influences your artwork, that is something to mention! If you’re a passionate volunteer and you donate a painting to that organization every year for auction, mention it (this tells us about your values as well as your interests).
What about facts that don’t have anything to do with art, like having a certain number of kids or grandkids or having a house full of fur babies or being obsessed with coffee? I think it’s fine to mention that because it helps humanize you further and can help people connect with you, but I’d keep it as a quick addition at the end.
Keep on Writing
You’ve written multiple versions of your artist statement and artist bio—congratulations! Now for the bad news: these two documents (particularly the artist statement) are not a one-and-done writing exercise. The fact is that your artist statement will evolve over time, just as your work will evolve. With each new body of work that you create, revisit your artist statement. You’ll be surprised to see that even though you only wrote it a few months or a year ago, it no longer “fits” your new work! This is a sign of your growth as an artist. Here’s the best news of all: the more you revise your artist statements and artist bios over the years, you become better at it and it becomes less effortful.
Happy writing!