Some practical tips and lots of inspiration
This post aims to provide you with inspiration and guidance on writing your artist bio and statement.
Why do you need an artist statement and bio?
Good question.
You don’t need one, it’s just an agreed-upon, professional standard for the ‘art world’. As in my art career, I am looking for gallery representation, exhibits, biennales and to be part of art history, it’s something that’s required.
I’ve done many iterations of my Bio and Artist Statement.
Here’s the latest as of date of posting:
BIOGRAPHY
SLART (Steven Light) is a figurative expressionist artist working and living in Swindon, UK. Steven was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent but moved to Marlborough in Wiltshire as a young child. He discovered that he was adopted by his grandparents, which set him on a journey of introspection and connection with his biological father and siblings. He spent a decade living in London, which was a contrast to his small-town upbringing, instilling new perspectives and life experiences in his mindset.
He has always loved drawing since early childhood. A shy and sensitive soul, he would spend many hours alone, drawing images from cartoons and animal books. He is drawn to creating people-centric art because he loves the diversity of people, their stories, problems, issues, baggage, quirks, and personalities.
SLART is also a muralist and has painted multiple outdoor pieces in his town. He’s produced a sizable body of work since moving to an art studio in 2021 and has been part of group exhibitions in the UK and Germany, as well as two well-received UK solo exhibits. One of the solo exhibitions, Fistula, documented his journey living with chronic kidney failure.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a self-taught figurative expressionist who rediscovered my passion for drawing and painting at the age of 37, two decades after my last formal art class. Through my art, I reveal and disarm human issues. I intertwine Memento Mori, spiritual themes and influences from the 1980s and 1990s pop culture I grew up in.
My primary mediums are oils or acrylic on large canvases and sometimes outdoor spaces to make a big impact. I often use reference photos as inspiration, but I aim to create my representation rather than a carbon copy. I paint freely with a rough concept in my mind, allowing it to unfold as I work.
Drawn to a complimentary colour palette, much of my work naturally employs bright or pastel colours on dark backgrounds creating bold statements. Being self-taught allows me to express myself without any preconceived concepts taken from formal art education.
Jean Dubuffet, David Shrigley and Keith Haring are my top three influences. Dubuffet taught me to play by my own rules, that formal art education is not needed and that it’s never too late to start. Shrigley endowed me with humour, authenticity and the confidence to stick to my own style. Haring ignited my love for street art, painting large murals and making art accessible.
I have read a book (many times over) by a bloke who calls himself Artorious007, he is self-described as an ‘old fart art collector’ and seems to know his stuff about the art world. He wrote a short book and it’s so simple to follow, I recommend it as a good reference guide of how to get your art world ducks in a row.
He shares two examples of Artists Ed Ruscha and Mark Bradford. The examples he chooses, subtly document their life journeys in their art, which is a big part of writing your artist bio and statement. It’s about you and why you make the art that you make.
I will attempt to share a paragraph about each artist, so you understand their lives and cultures. Later on in this post, I will share some wonderful videos and you can learn more.
Ed Ruscha had a background in advertising and grew up in the Midwest, so you can see that throughout his work. He loved comics, cinema and western movies as a kid. He has vast experience across various artistic mediums including painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, and film.
Mark Bradford grew up in South Central LA, his family worked in hairdressers so he used to buy perm end papers (These endpapers can be used during any perm service on the ends of the hair) as they were cheap to buy, and started creating abstract works from them. He used themes around predatory advertising targeting poor areas, like South Central LA.
Artorius shares these two examples of how the above artist’s lives run through their work.
As simply as I can muster, here’s the difference between the artist’s bio and statement.
Artist bio
This is written in the third person, it’s a factual account of your life as an artist, your career and your achievements.
Artist Statement
This is about the how, why, when and what you create. It’s the influences and intentions of your work, written in the first person.
Now, watch these two videos, and see how their lives come through in their work. They’re both over an hour so you can watch them below, I have provided the YouTube links if you prefer.
Ed Ruscha – Tate Talk (YouTube)
Mark Bradford – Tate Talk (YouTube)
I hope you found the talks interesting and they’ve given you a sense of how to weave your story through your art.
The best advice I can give is not to overthink it, you can get caught up in making it sound fancy and intellectual, just be honest and authentic. Feel free to jazz it up with your writing skills if you wish.
Let Chat GPT me ask you some questions as prompts about your life and art. Don’t worry if you don’t answer them all. Just have fun with it, dream, be inspired, reflect. It doesn’t have to be taxing at all.
What inspired you to pursue an art career?
Could you describe your artistic journey, from when you first started creating to where you are now?
What mediums and techniques do you primarily work with, and why?
Are there any specific themes or subjects that consistently appear in your artwork?
How would you describe your artistic style?
Have you received any formal training or education in art, and if so, how has it influenced your work?
Can you share any significant milestones or achievements in your artistic career?
Are there any artists, historical or contemporary, who have had a profound impact on your work?
How does your cultural background or personal experiences inform your artistic expression?
What emotions or messages do you hope viewers take away from your art?
Can you walk me through your creative process, from idea conception to finished piece?
Do you have any specific rituals or routines that you follow when creating art?
Have you participated in any exhibitions, residencies, or collaborations that have shaped your artistic practice?
How do you see your art evolving in the future?
What do you hope to accomplish or contribute to the art world through your work?
(Alternatively, if you like you can use my GPT prompt to generate some different questions, please do).
Pretend you are an art expert. You know how to write a great artist bio and artist statement.
"An artist bio is a factual account of an artist's life, career, and achievements, typically written in the third person, while an artist statement is a personal narrative that explains the artist's creative process, influences, and intentions behind their work, usually written in the first person."
Ask me 15 questions to get the best answers out of me so I can write a great bio and statement.Now you have some ideas flowing, use my artist bio and statement as a rough guide. If you want, post them in the comments. Or reply to this email if you’d prefer privacy.
If you like, go and look at other established artists and see what they’ve written.
I’ll start you off…
Gerhard Richter: Bio.
Aneka Ingold: Statement.
As an ending note, you know what is weird?, Artorious007 hasn’t posted anything since 2021, he seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth, well from social media sites anyway. Maybe he said all that he needed to say and just left. His words are all that’s left of the mysterious character who seems to know a lot about the art world!
If you know where he is, let me know.
Love to you,
