Tips for Writing an Artist Statement and Effectively Using Words to Describe Art
As someone who moves rather frequently I document my travels with what I like to call a “Desk Check.” I will draw, paint, photograph, and ultimately document everything on my desk at a certain point in time. This type of artwork displays an intimate snapshot into my life.
Table of Contents
What is an artist statement?
What are the best ways to write a strong artist statement?
How do famous artists describe their art?
What are some of the best words to describe art?
Conclusion
I love the process of creating art. I love the brainstorming session with terrible stick figure drawings, I love the ‘practice stage’ of drawing the same thing over and over again, and I love the final design. Despite the tedious planning stages, I love how those small wobbly drawings in your sketchbook can come to life in a real masterpiece of art.
Gesture drawings are quick studies of the human form and one of the easiest ways to practice your line work and accurately sketching figures.
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After visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I sketched a few people sitting around the fountain. I used my brown paper sketchbook to create a mid-tone base, a black pen for shadows, and a white pen for highlights. Not only did these gesture drawings improve my understanding of the human form, but I was able to capture light in a quick and cool manner.
You know what the art means to you, but how do you describe it to others? Also, where do you find the words to describe art, something so subjective and intangible?
You can Google ‘Words to Describe Art.’ This Google search returns an overabundance of thesauruses and general terms.
While these words are indeed artistically inclined, you want words specific to your artwork, medium, and style. What you need are solid, real tips for writing an artist statement; you want to use the best words to describe art.
What is an artist statement?
“[An artist statement is a] piece of writing by you that helps the audience access or understand your artistic work.”
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
Basically, an artist statement is a formal way of using words to describe art. Essentially, it is a way for you, the artist, to express the message you are trying to convey visually.
Many of these words to describe art are generally used for social media and website promotion, galleries, exhibitions, grant applications, teaching position applications, and fellowships.
Generally, I write and rewrite my artist statements on a consistent basis with my social media posting schedule. Please check out my social media to see how I describe my own art.
What are the best ways to write a strong artist statement?
Writing an artist statement is a more complex process than simply using random words to describe your art. First, write in first person POV, remember to keep your audience in mind while writing, and follow the acronym K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Lastly, I included some good questions to think about when brainstorming your artist statement.
About once a year I set aside a page in my sketchbook, or bullet journal, to do a marker test. First, I go through every pen I own including Sharpies, highlighters, Bic Permanent Markers, Crayola markers, Stabilo pens, Expo dry erase markers and everything in between. I document the quality and determine whether to keep or toss the utensil. It’s easy to collect art materials, especially when you’re like me and switch mediums regularly. It is important to know that when I reach for a certain pen or marker, it’s going to work the way I want it to. I do keep a page at the back of my sketchbook open for testing mediums, but it’s an important part of the process of creating art to go with the flow and just draw.
Write in First Person Point-of-View
Structurally, the SAIC recommends to write the artist statement in first person. This advice contrasts artist biographies which are typically written in third person.
For instance, you can say “I created this work to represent…” and “my mother influenced this…”. These examples work well because they help define an intimate connection between the art and the viewer.
Typically, you don’t personally know the viewer, so establishing personalized meaning can add substance to your art. Supporting the connections between the viewer and the artwork is vital in helping people really understand your work.
As art students, we were tasked with creating a work of art, recycling brown paper bags, and expressing ‘tension.’ In the midst of high school drama and stressful testing seasons, I created this mixed media drawing of a woman silently screaming and pulling at her hair, which is made of delicate paper.
Learn to Keep your Audience in Mind
Remember your audience. Who did you create this artwork for? What type of people would you imagine in the gallery looking at this artwork? Who would buy this painting?
The artist statement is sometimes published on social media platforms or printed next to the painting in a gallery. You may be writing to someone who has never held a paintbrush in their life, so keep these thoughts in mind when writing an artist statement to describe your artwork.
Some words to describe art are different for artists versus non artists. For example, saying a work is impressionistic could mean in reference to the impressionism painting style of the 19th century. In contrast, impressionistic could represent the work’s capability in leaving an impression, or a lasting memory, on the viewer.
Learning art history is a great method to improve your art lingo. For instance, maybe learn how the difference between modern and contemporary, and how in the art world, they are not synonymous.
The specialized art jargon, referred to as “art speak,” is great for the critique, though try to avoid it for the artist statement.
The KISS Method: Keep it Simple, Stupid
Basically, try to be concise, straightforward, and as clear as you can. A good rule of thumb is to avoid using too many complex words to describe art, and stick to the basics like colors, shapes, and simple patterns.
If you are optimizing your artwork for digital marketing purposes, sometimes simply describing the art is better than describing the meaning or the feeling. Using artistic keywords like ROY G. BIV colors and shapes. For more simple color theory tips, check out this blog post written by me: Color Knowledge Tips That Will Make You a Better Artist
Also following SEO guidelines may provide good results.
This sketchbook spread features a stylized pattern of colorful poppy flowers. The garden of flowers includes leaves of green, yellow and peach. The flowers are yellow with blue stems. The drawing as a whole has a whimsical and playful feel with a bright color scheme, polka dots and organic squiggle shapes, and blobs of seemingly random colors.
Brainstorming Ideas
Next, find important questions to ask throughout the brainstorming process. Your answers to these questions should include words to describe art and how you created the art.
- What are the key ideas, issues, struggles, and goals within your work?
- Does your work have a thematic focus (goals, purposes, intentions, and explorations)?
- What is the content of work, including themes, ideas, and subject matter?
- How were you influenced culturally, historically, theoretically, artistically, personally, and biographically?
- Who is your audience? Who will be looking at your work? What do you imagine they feel when viewing it?
- How would your audience use words to describe art?
- How did you create the work? What materials, processes, traditions, and styles did you use in your work?
- Can you use your senses to describe the art? What does the work look, sound or feel (impasto) like?
- How can you make your art work easier to understand?
Finally, have a friend or teacher review your artist statement when you finish writing it. You may think the statement makes sense, but it may not be clear to someone who hasn’t spent hours working on the artwork.
How do famous artists describe their art?
The Masters
Edvard Munch
Many famous artists write artist statements describing their masterful artwork. Some are available in museums, some are available online.
For instance, Edvard Munch’s The Scream has a vivid artist statement full of life and emotion, similar to the visuals seen in the work itself.
I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there were blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.
Jackson pollock
Jackson Pollock remains a fantastic and famous artist, despite criticism for his work’s abstracted and childish features.
I want to express my feelings rather than illustrate them. It doesn’t matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said. On the floor, I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting. When I’m painting, I’m not aware of what I’m doing. It’s only after a get-acquainted period that I see what I’ve been about. I’ve no fears about making changes for the painting has a life of its own.
Louise bourgeois
Next, Louise Bourgeois’s massive spider sculptures are really freaking cool and worth sharing. She started creating these steel structures in the 1990s, contrasting her previous styles.
I’ve drawn my whole life. My parents were in the tapestry restoration business, and as a young girl, I would draw in the missing parts of the tapestry that needed to be re-woven. My ability to draw made me indispensable to my parents. I came from a family of repairers. The spider is a repairer. If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn’t get mad. She weaves and repairs it. ‘The Spider’ is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. . . Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.
Many of these masters describe their art with passion, flame, and emotion. Notice how they use first person POV, relatively simple diction, and still manage to communicate what the art is about and what it means to them.
Underrated Artists
I want to include some artist statements of underrated artists as well. In growing my online presence, I’ve digitally met a myriad of talented and creative individuals, and I would like to share their art and artist statements in this section.
AUGUST LAMM
August Lamm is an incredible portrait artist, and I’m very excited to share her artwork. She typically uses ink and oil paints. In this piece, I especially love the use of complementary colors in the man’s face, the contrast of detail versus an almost unfinished impressionistic appearance, and of course, the simplicity of the artist statement. It’s very painterly and I love it. Be sure to check out more of August’s works on her Instagram!
The artist statement included in this painting is short and simple compared to others in this article. Regardless of length, it is powerful and emotional and allows the viewer to connect with the artist, and maybe even the subject, on a more intimate level.
Sometimes you paint over an old painting and wonder why you waited so long to let go
ERIKA WILSON
I first discovered Erika Wilson at a local arts market. Her work was captivating and I wanted to learn more about this incredible artist. Erika provided two artist statements, proving her knowledge of writing to a certain audience.
In the first artist statement, notice the purpose is primarily for social media, and make sure to follow her Instagram! Erika uses first person POV and includes the dimensions and mediums used in the work. She also includes emojis and middle dots between paragraphs, a common spacing technique for Instagram, showing that she knows her audience.
So often I am eager for the future, reminiscent of the past, and losing track of the time in between. Feeling afraid or anxious that I don’t have time for everything. The weighty pressure of needing to make each day count.
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This painting reminds me that a day is LONG when we are present for it, and immeasurably valuable regardless of what I do during it. Some days are filled with intentional time and mindfulness, some days I am meaninglessly busy and pointlessly stressed out, and some days I indulge in doing nothing at all. All are good days, and there is still time ✨️
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“There is Still Time”
22″ x 28″ acrylic on canvas
Available
The next artist statement is noticeably more professional. In particular, notice how Erika adapted the bullet points into dashes and uses clear spacing, giving a cleaner appearance, similar to a resume. Erika briefly discusses her inspiration, techniques, and purpose in under 100 words. It’s simple, effective, and one of the best artist statements I’ve seen.
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Hello! I’m Erika Wilson, a visual artist based in Salt Lake City, UT.
My work is deeply inspired by natural wilderness and the lush, strange, beauty of the botanical world. Equally, my artwork draws from cultivated nature found in urban spaces: gardens, houseplants, and roadside scrub alike.
I use vibrant color and dramatic line to create imagery that provokes wonderment, engages curiosity, and invites viewers to experience their senses unreservedly.
At its foundation, my artwork is a celebration of our intimate connection to nature, in the many forms we may find it, no matter how ordinary or unusual.
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My website: https://erikawilsonart.square.site/
My Instagram: @erika.wilson.art
KYLE DRURY
Kyle and I actually went to the same arts high school. We both studied Visual Arts and I’m really proud to see how he has grown as an artist. Please go follow his Instagram account here!
Kyle has a stunning impasto painting technique that really gives life to contrasting flat cartoon-like characters. His works are animated and fun to look at, as well as visually interesting.
Kyle’s artist statement uses first person POV to describe his thoughts and organizes the paragraphs increasing in size. He also continues to deliver contrasting elements. The whimsical and colorful style conveys comfort, in this “cozy painting,” unlike the realities in the life of a western cowboy, portrayed in the serious face and stature of the man.
The Campfire Cowboy is part of a series of paintings I call Worsterns.
I’m thinking about the bad things that could and maybe should have happened to old time cowboys. They’re dramatic paintings of cowboys falling victim to the dangers of the wild west.
The danger is less obvious in Campfire Cowboy. It’s a cozy painting of a well-fed fella and his horse relaxing and drinking coffee by the fire. Its more about having a feeling that something bad is about to happen instead of witnessing it firsthand.
JULIA HILL
I found Julia’s artwork on Instagram and I was awestruck. Definitely make sure to give her a follow here! She uses fine pens to create stunning realistic landscape drawings.
Her artist statement is also written in first person POV and describes her medium of choice, thoughts behind her style and technique, and how her personal background impacts her artwork.
Truly, Julia’s words describe the artwork better than I could ever analyze it. This is a perfect example of the importance of an artist statement and how it can compliment the visual artistry of the work.
As an Illustrator, I predominantly use fine liners to create my images. I use 0.03, 0.05 and 0.1 black uni pens. I find drawing using a single black line extremely therapeutic and somewhat fascinating. I am driven by the constant complexities of creating depth, texture, light and shadow within my work using only a single black line. Holdsworth House presented itself to me as a challenge, to combine the solidity of a beautiful structure and the softness of the environment it sits within.
Nature, the environment, wildlife and botanicals form the basis of all of my personal work. The natural environment has held a particular fascination for me since I was a child. The intricacy of my drawing allows me to connect to each subject on a much deeper level. ‘Seeing’ the intricacy within a form and recreating it with a mix of lines, dots and patterns to create an overall visual effect. My work is not just a simple depiction of the subject I have chosen, but rather a visual expression of my emotional and spiritual connection to what I am drawing.
For more examples of my personal artist statements, please check out my social media platforms.
What are some of the best words to describe art?
In this article we defined an artist statement, discovered tips to effectively describing your art, and reviewed examples of artist statements in the wild.
In this final section, we will recall the elements and principles of art and design. These are the building blocks of aesthetically pleasing work, and basic references to use when describing your own art.
To learn more about building blocks of art, and starting out as an artist, please check out the following articles:
The list of elements and principles of art are generally a good place to start when looking for words to describe art. Basically, there are six elements of art and eight principles of art.
The Basic Elements of Art and Design
- Color
- Shape
- Generally associated with height and width, shape can be organic and/or geometric.
- Form
- I associate this element with volume, height, width, depth.
- It can be two dimensional or three dimensional because it gives an illusion of value (drawing) or real value (sculpture).
- Line
- This element is generally associated with being implied, abstracted, parallel, or crossed.
- Space
- This element is generally associated with positive (subject matter) and negative (background) areas.
- Space creates the illusion of depth through value.
- Texture
- This element is generally associated with how the art feels or looks like it feels (soft, bumpy, hard, slick, squishy, sharp, smooth).
The Elite Principles of Art and Design
- Rhythm
- This principle of art and design is generally associated with patterns, movement, repetition, tempo, and beat.
- Harmony
- This principle is generally associated with unification, familiarity, and connection.
- Balance
- This principle of art is generally characterized by symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial.
- Contrast
- This principle is generally used to highlight the focal point, or the subject, of a work of art.
- Pop art is a great example of using contrasting colors, especially complementary colors (colors opposite each other on the color wheel i.e. orange and blue).
- Movement
- This principle is generally associated with dynamism and action and helps to guide the viewer’s eye to the focal point.
- Pattern
- Similar to rhythm, this principle of design is generally associated with duplication.
- Proportion
- Relativity is a huge part of this principle of art and design. It is also related to relationships and size.
- Variety
- Generally associated with diversity and interest, variety captures attention, similar to contrast.
- Variety partners with unity to establish balance.
Conclusion
You can choose to describe art in any way you want, because it’s your art. You can call it ugly or nonsensical just as easily as you call it stunning and deep and impressive. Adjectives are subjective in the same way you and your artwork are subjective.
However, if you want people to understand your artwork, you may need to clearly communicate what it means. Using artistic terms helps to encourage the viewer to look past the image and think about the process, materials, backstory, and time dedicated to create the art.
After I graduated college, I felt especially lonely. You go from being surrounded by many curious and exotic people to a much smaller group. And then, you realize working 9-5 means you have even less time to spend with friends. I found this list of 50 Ways to Spend Time Alone on Pinterest. I hope you can use it and learn to love spending time alone as much as I have.
In this sense, writing a clear, optimized, and creative artist statement can add value to your artwork.
Why did the artist choose the colors they did for the different parts of the work? How does the composition move the viewer’s eye around the work? Is there a focal point, a spot where the artist chose for you to look first?
There are many words one can use to describe art, but an artist statement proves unique because it comes directly from the creator.
You, the artist, have the chance to tell the world what your art really means. You are the one to give your art value.
