Need Help with Artist Bio

[stevenD]

Hello, As an emerging Artist, I was looking at a few websites and they have Artists Bio's. I created the one below and would like to get anyones thoughts and RECOMMENDATIONS. PLEASE: Feel free to correct me, I will not take it personal, looking to put my best-foot-forward and I appreciate any/all input, including wording/spelling errors. (Be brutal if you want...lol) BIG THANKS!


ARTIST BIO: Before delving into who I am, let me start with what I am not; I am not a Graphic Artist. My art is exclusively created through Photography. I first started on my photographic path with a Polaroid camera, back when I was around 10. I have always had a flair for pushing the limits of creativity. I have taken several Photography courses, however mostly I am self-taught, shooting everything I could in my late teens/early 20’s. Later, I put together a high-end home studio and shot live Models. Around 2005, I started experimenting with Glass and Lights, which I have been continually refining, changing and advancing to this day.

VISION: Is using colored Lights to illuminate unique Glass pieces to create Abstract Art. I try to create Art that is obscure and otherwise hard/impossible to identify. My vision includes understanding how Light reacts to clear/opaque Glass, including factors such as Absorption, Refection, Refraction, Dispersion, etc. I have dubbed it ARTography!

PROCESS:
The Camera is my “Tool”.
The Table I where I do my set-up is my “Canvas”.
The Colored Lights are my “Paint”.
The Final Art is printed on Metallic Paper, sandwiched between two sheets of Acrylic.
I have 500+ pieces of Glass and misc. clear/opaque elements. I have 100+ Colored Lights. I take a shot, review it, then continue to add or rearrange Glass and Lights, until I capture the end shot. I then import the RAW files into a Photo program to do formatting, cropping and minimal adjustments. I do not create, copy or move elements, nor do I add colors, so basically what is shown, is what is captured by my Camera! I feel strongly about this, as I want to stay true to Photography and not create graphic art. This adds a depth that is unobtainable through 2D graphic art.

 

[pcj]

Well, I think that's a great bio. A very good description of what your art is all about without
pages and pages of incomprehensible rambling like so many artists seem to do nowadays.
Cheers,
Patricia

 

[Hermes2020]

I think the bio describes your vision and process well. All I would add is where you are from and your current location.

 

[txomsy]

Is using colored Lights to illuminate unique Glass pieces to create Abstract Art. I try to create Art that is obscure and otherwise hard/impossible to identify

I think this sentence makes you look as an uppity eccentric who wants to be dark and elitist. Not that you are. But, that's what I read: "I want my art to be esoteric and impossible to understand for common mortals".

I think you can say the same in a more positive way:

"I want to distill the effects of light shining through Glass works, creating unique Abstractions where form is diluted until only the emotion of pure light beauty remains".

That would say the same, but stress "light" instead of "obscurity", and what you keep (the beauty of light) instead of what you lose (had/impossible to identify).

But that's only a suggestion.

 

[stevenD]

BIG thanks, to txomsy, that deep analysis is exactly what I was hoping for, I really like your version and will use/integrate your (great) suggestions...!

 

[Joy]

txomsy has some inspired suggestions. I perused the threads you started, and am thrilled by the remarkable use of light, color, shape and photography. Notice I did not write, "Light, Color, Shape and Photography". In an attempt to be helpful (at best) or an insufferable know-it-all (at worst), I noted that you capitalize many things that should be lower case. Only proper nouns, like "Polaroid" should be capitalized. Camera, tool, glass, light, and paint are not capitalized. Acronyms are capitalized. RAW is not really an acronym, but is is written as "RAW" to match other common file format names which are acronyms such as JPEG, GIF, MOV, MPEG, etc. Many manufacturers all write the format in all caps, so at this point it's a de facto standard. I don't know if English is your first language, because in German nouns are capitalized.

It would read more polished if you rearranged some of the structure to avoid starting so many sentences with "I". Since you asked for a brutal assessment, the message is compelling and implored me to immediately check out your art (not "Art"). The unpleasant part is that I am tempted to take a red Sharpie to it for capitalization, continuity, redundancy, and clarity of speech. Those errors were distracting to me and nothing should divert your reader's attention from your art. Less is more when attempting to attract interest in a subject. How frequently we see "TLDR" online!

Considering the deterioration of spelling, grammar, and communications skills in the last few decades, there are very few left that even notice errors. Of course, this is coming from a nitpicker who will check the spelling of an item on a shopping list that only I see.

 

[stevenD]

Again, great insight, I will incorporate and non-capitalize, I really appreciate the critique and is why I posted it, these are all super helpful and I Thank You (oops..lol)

 

[Artyczar]

In the art world, an artist's bio is typically written in the third person, and an artist's statement is written in the first person. I've written some about this. I can find it if you want and post a link, but if it's just for a website and you're not looking to be a professional or trying to attract gallery representation, it really doesn't matter how you craft it.

 

[Joy]

Ayin, excellent points. Because Rikard is doing both a bio and describing his vision, it makes sense to me to keep it all in the first person. Being a professional, you would be knowledgeable about this.

 

[pcj]

I think this sentence makes you look as an uppity eccentric who wants to be dark and elitist. Not that you are. But, that's what I read: "I want my art to be esoteric and impossible to understand for common mortals".

Wow. txomsy!
I , for one, certainly didn't think that sentence made him look like " an uppity eccentric who wants to be
dark and elitist" or "wants his art to be esoteric and impossible to understand for common mortals"

I took his sentence to mean exactly what he said ! which was :
quote " VISION: Is using colored Lights to illuminate unique Glass pieces to create Abstract Art. I try to create Art that is obscure and otherwise hard/impossible to identify. My vision includes understanding how Light reacts to clear/opaque Glass, including factors such as Absorption, Refection, Refraction, Dispersion, etc. I have dubbed it ARTography!" end quote

 

[stevenD]

Hello Everyone, I was not originally planning on reposting my up dated Bio, but I received such great and helpful, insightful input and suggestions (BIG THANKS) that I wanted to show you how I incorporated them. Again, please feel free to offer any critiques, no matter how brutal (lol)...


ARTIST BIO: Is a life-long resident of Orange County, California. First, it should be noted, that he is not a Graphic Artist. His art is exclusively created through photography. He has taken a number of photography courses, however for the most part is self-taught. He has always had a flair for pushing the limits of creativity, starting his photographic journey with a Polaroid camera, around 10 years old, then later with an extensive home-studio shooting models. In 2005, he began experimenting with glass and lights, a passion that has continued and expanded to present day.

VISION: Is to create beautiful and emotional abstract art, utilizing the effects of colored lights interacting with glass pieces. Harnessing factors such as absorption, refection, refraction, and dispersion, allows for a whimsical, psychedelic (and often with) deep and intense colors. Using actual objects in a photograph adds the depth and realism that is unobtainable through 2D graphic art and is why he has dubbed his work as; “ARTography”!

PROCESS:
The Camera is his “Tool”.
The Glass set-up on his table is his “Canvas”.
The Colored Lights are his “Paint”.
With the finished shot printed on metallic paper, sandwiched between two sheets of acrylic.

He has 500+ pieces of glass pieces/objects and 100+ colored lights. A scene is set-up, a shot taken, reviewed, then refined by adding/rearranging the glass/objects and lights, until a shot is captured that he is passionate about. Next, the Raw files are imported into a photo-program for formatting, cropping and minimal adjustments. He does not create or copy elements, nor add/change any colors, meaning what is shown in his work - is what is captured by the camera! He feels strongly about this, as he wants to stay true to his photographic craft and not create graphic art.

 

[txomsy]

I took his sentence to mean exactly what he said ! which was :
quote " VISION: Is using colored Lights to illuminate unique Glass pieces to create Abstract Art. I try to create Art that is obscure and otherwise hard/impossible to identify. My vision includes understanding how Light reacts to clear/opaque Glass, including factors such as Absorption, Refection, Refraction, Dispersion, etc. I have dubbed it ARTography!" end quote

Me too. And I bet most intelligent humans would understand the intention as well. But the devil hides in detail.

Saying your works are obscure and hard/impossible to identify may seem like your goal is to make something people cannot understand. I wouldn't emphasize that. It's all a matter of emphasis: instead I would prefer to emphasize that form is not the goal, but to arouse intimate emotions in the observer through beautiful plays of light through various refractive media and shapes. The former makes it look as if the goal was (puts the emphasis on) just making your work unrecognizable, the later makes it look as if your goal is (puts the emphasis on) beauty and emotion.

When preparing a CV or a statement, the most common advice is to "tune it" to your target. Of course you can have an aseptic CV and use it for everything. But if you tune it to match the reader's expectations, emphasizing how your skills can benefit them, it will be more effective.

For an artist bio, I think it is similar: emphasize what makes your art 'desirable'.

By all means, do say why your art is different, but put the accent on the added value of that difference, on what can a "buyer" find in, and want from, it, not on the technical aspect --unless the technical aspect in itself is an innovative "wow!" factor, like e.g. making ephemeral (performances were a selling breaking-point originally), collaborative (like joining hundreds of nude volunteers), miles-long sized, natural constructs, you get the drift, ... works of art.

I doubt most "buyers" or galleries are looking just for "unrecognizable works", but if you say "my works do away with form to produce beauty and emotion", that may be a selling point. Not the selling point, just one. But every little helps.

 

[stevenD]

Great points...back to the drawing board...!

Thanks