Artist Statement - A Revision
Dear Readers,
When a call for artwork from Gallery Z in Providence, Rhode Island arrived in my Inbox, I noticed that participants were being asked to include an Artist Statement. I thought that it would be a great opportunity to look back at what I wrote in 1998 and see if anything had changed.
An artist statement is required by exhibition curators and gallery curators. It tells the world what gives a person the right to call herself or himself an artist. What motives, experiences and objectives make each of us step into the studio month after month? It differs from an exhibition statement, which describes a particular theme or idea represented in a selection of pieces on display for a limited amount of time. Both are challenging to write, because we want to be clear, concise and come off sounding halfway intelligent about what we have devoted our lives to doing.
My statement, with minor revisions in July, 2011, has essentially remained the same since 1998. Until last month, it was found on the About Judith Ferrara page of this web site. Here it is:
In January 1998, I returned to painting for the first time in nearly 40 years. However, art remained my passion during that time. I read about art and artists voraciously and frequented every museum and gallery in any location in which I found myself. My husband, John Gaumond, and I have been collecting art since the mid-1980s.
I have worked hard since my return to painting. Courses at the Worcester Art Museum, in the South of France and at Castle Hill, Truro Center for the Arts on Cape Cod have provided me with subject and inspiration. My painting teachers gave me instruction and encouragement. I have exhibited regularly since 1999, and in 2000, I received the Jacob Knight Emerging Artist award.
I have come to understand that the process of painting is mysterious. When I begin to paint, it takes several hours of intense work before I know if I have a painting. Then the painting takes over. I listen to it. I know, and don’t know, what I am doing at the same time. I work in a state of curiosity and wonder where the painting will take me. I give myself to it and trust the process, the mystery. I have no fear.
While I find some subjects in the real world of interiors, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes or portraits, it is not until I start to paint that I know if my subject, imagination and skills will merge and inspire me enough to produce a picture in which some meaning becomes clear. I am always asking: “But what is this painting about?” Meaning is finally conveyed to me in the non-verbal language of emotions: joy, fear, serenity, or discomfort. So the root of my passion for painting is its dependence on emotion and whatever emotion dominates the subject. The search for meaning is the same if I look at someone else’s art or my own. Because the search is also an exploration, I tend to work in series.
I am also a poet and notice similarities between the process of painting and writing poetry. If one were to examine poems from my first collection, Gestures of Trees, the many references to art would be apparent. There are instances when some paintings have grown from my poems, and poems have come from my paintings. I gathered them into a manuscript that featured reciprocal pairs of paintings and received a 2003 Worcester Cultural Commission-Massachusetts Cultural Council creative arts fellowship. I produced a handmade artist’s book, Reciprocity, in a limited edition of one hundred, featuring twenty-two images and poems from my manuscript, which is available on my web site.
My paintings represent a variety of subjects and techniques. Strong expressive colors, stylized shapes and patterns dominate my work. Acrylics, oils, oil sticks, oil pastels, transfers, pastels and pencils help me to experiment and to achieve effects that I want. As each painting emerges, I recognize my influences: Rouault, Redon, Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Degas, Hockney, van Gogh and the painters who influenced them. For example, I painted an homage to van Gogh, which is based on his homage to Millet’ s “La Nuit Etoilée.” Poet John Ashbery said, “Rather than be pure, accept yourself as numerous.” He was talking about his style of mixing various language and tones of voice in his poems. I believe that he is also instructing me in my journey as a painter and poet.
Here is the revision, which is also on the About Judith Ferrara page of www.paletteandpen.com . It feels more like an art-focused autobiography, but that’s about right for an artist statement.
Art has been my passion since childhood. Fortunately, I attended a high school that offered studio classes. After four years, I graduated with a good foundation and a lot of encouragement.
My mother, however, insisted “art teachers are the first ones to get laid off,“ so my undergraduate degree was not in art (Judy‘s Journal, November 2004). While I had a very satisfying public school and college teaching career, art remained the dominant motif of my life. I consumed books about art and artists and frequented every museum and gallery anywhere I found myself. When I wrote poetry, it frequently included art references. Since the mid-1980s, my husband John Gaumond and I have been collecting art. Our home is an example of how to live with art (Judy‘s Journal, September 2012).
In January 1998, I returned to making art for the first time in nearly 40 years.
I have worked hard since my return to painting. Courses have provided me with increased skills, subject and inspiration. I have exhibited regularly since 1999, and in 2000, I received the Jacob Knight Emerging Artist award.
What is my process? I have come to understand that the process of painting is mysterious. It takes several hours of intense work before I know if I have a painting. Then the painting takes over. I listen to it. I know and don’t know what I am doing at the same time. I work in a state of curiosity and wonder. Where will the painting take me? I give myself to it and trust the process and the mystery. I have no fear.
While I find some subjects in the real world of interiors, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes or portraits, it is not until I start to paint that I know if my subject, imagination and skills will merge and inspire me enough to produce a picture in which some meaning becomes clear. I am always asking: “But what is this painting about?” Meaning is finally conveyed to me in the non-verbal language of emotions: joy, fear, serenity, discomfort or satisfaction. This search for meaning is the same if I look at my art or someone else’s. Because my search is also an exploration, I tend to work in series.
I am also a poet and notice similarities between the process of painting and writing poetry. If one were to examine poems from my first collection, Gestures of Trees (2000), many references to art would become apparent. There are instances when some paintings have grown from my poems, and poems have come from my paintings. I gathered them into a manuscript that featured reciprocal pairs and received a 2003 Worcester Cultural Commission-Massachusetts Cultural Council creative arts fellowship. I produced a handmade artist’s book, Reciprocity, in a limited edition of one hundred, featuring twenty-two images and poems from my manuscript, which is available on my web site. A Brush With Words, a collection of art-related poems, is upcoming.
My paintings represent a variety of subjects and techniques. Strong expressive colors, stylized shapes and patterns dominate my work. I remember in the 1950’s, my painting teacher came into class with a “new” medium: acrylic paint! In 1998, when I mixed paints for the first time in nearly 40 years, I cried. Today acrylics, oils, oil sticks, oil pastels, pastels, pencils, transfers and archival inks help me to achieve effects that I want.
When I returned to painting, my influences were apparent: Rouault, Redon, Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Degas, Hockney, van Gogh and the painters who influenced them. For example, I painted an homage to van Gogh based on his homage to Millet’ s “La Nuit Etoilée.” Today, their influences may not be as obvious, but they are still there, even as I come into my own as an artist.
Poet John Ashbery said, “Rather than be pure, accept yourself as numerous.” He was talking about his style of mixing various language and tones of voice in his poems. I believe that he is also instructing me in my journey as a painter and poet.
Here is the revision, which is also on the About Judith Ferrara page of www.paletteandpen.com . It feels more like an art-focused autobiography, but that’s about right for an artist statement.
Art has been my passion since childhood. Fortunately, I attended a high school that offered studio classes. After four years, I graduated with a good foundation and a lot of encouragement.
My mother, however, insisted “art teachers are the first ones to get laid off,“ so my undergraduate degree was not in art (Judy‘s Journal, November 2004). While I had a very satisfying public school and college teaching career, art remained the dominant motif of my life. I consumed books about art and artists and frequented every museum and gallery anywhere I found myself. When I wrote poetry, it frequently included art references. Since the mid-1980s, my husband John Gaumond and I have been collecting art. Our home is an example of how to live with art (Judy‘s Journal, September 2012).
In January 1998, I returned to making art for the first time in nearly 40 years.
I have worked hard since my return to painting. Courses have provided me with increased skills, subject and inspiration. I have exhibited regularly since 1999, and in 2000, I received the Jacob Knight Emerging Artist award.
What is my process? I have come to understand that the process of painting is mysterious. It takes several hours of intense work before I know if I have a painting. Then the painting takes over. I listen to it. I know and don’t know what I am doing at the same time. I work in a state of curiosity and wonder. Where will the painting take me? I give myself to it and trust the process and the mystery. I have no fear.
While I find some subjects in the real world of interiors, landscapes, cityscapes, still lifes or portraits, it is not until I start to paint that I know if my subject, imagination and skills will merge and inspire me enough to produce a picture in which some meaning becomes clear. I am always asking: “But what is this painting about?” Meaning is finally conveyed to me in the non-verbal language of emotions: joy, fear, serenity, discomfort or satisfaction. This search for meaning is the same if I look at my art or someone else’s. Because my search is also an exploration, I tend to work in series.
I am also a poet and notice similarities between the process of painting and writing poetry. If one were to examine poems from my first collection, Gestures of Trees (2000), many references to art would become apparent. There are instances when some paintings have grown from my poems, and poems have come from my paintings. I gathered them into a manuscript that featured reciprocal pairs and received a 2003 Worcester Cultural Commission-Massachusetts Cultural Council creative arts fellowship. I produced a handmade artist’s book, Reciprocity, in a limited edition of one hundred, featuring twenty-two images and poems from my manuscript, which is available on my web site. A Brush With Words, a collection of art-related poems, is upcoming.
My paintings represent a variety of subjects and techniques. Strong expressive colors, stylized shapes and patterns dominate my work. I remember in the 1950’s, my painting teacher came into class with a “new” medium: acrylic paint! In 1998, when I mixed paints for the first time in nearly 40 years, I cried. Today acrylics, oils, oil sticks, oil pastels, pastels, pencils, transfers and archival inks help me to achieve effects that I want.
When I returned to painting, my influences were apparent: Rouault, Redon, Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Degas, Hockney, van Gogh and the painters who influenced them. For example, I painted an homage to van Gogh based on his homage to Millet’ s “La Nuit Etoilée.” Today, their influences may not be as obvious, but they are still there, even as I come into my own as an artist.
Poet John Ashbery said, “Rather than be pure, accept yourself as numerous.” He was talking about his style of mixing various language and tones of voice in his poems. I believe that he is also instructing me in my journey as a painter and poet.
