A longer Bio/Artist Statement

By the Artist

A more formal tone is probably required here. But I am me. I generally don’t condone folks being casual in formal settings. But this is me I am talking about. I am just a man, a person with feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, anxieties, emotions, if you will. You and I know men don’t have feelings. Yeah, that was a joke. If you didn’t laugh, I’ll “give you permission”; you’re certainly allowed to laugh.

What makes my work compelling? Well, I don’t know, to be honest. Because I am not inside your head. I know what I want to get out of the people who see my art. I know what I would like. But I have no authority to compel such reactions from someone, from anyone, from you, no authority at all. But I will consider my own work “Good enough” if my intentions do evoke the reactions I seemingly want.

So I guess, what makes work “Art”, and what makes any “Art” compelling in the first place? Because I reside in Photography, I will try to keep my thoughts in my primary domain. When I envision compelling photos… compelling is an interesting word I keep falling into… the photograph itself, by its nature forces a specific evocation in the observer… I digress. When I envision compelling photos, I think of images that are iconic where I do NOT know the artist.

My limited formal training in studio art (Minor at THE Ohio State University) exposed me to art in a more comprehensive way, and during my courses, I found images taken by artists that were extremely well known, but I never knew who took them. I aim for this type of anonymity with my fellow common men and women. I am not on the inside. And, at least today, I do not intend to be inside; it’s not my goal. My goal is to take, and print photographs that anyone and everyone wants in their home, and I will ensure that if my work meets that criterion, it will be priced accordingly. My engineering brain wants an objective to be measurable and achievable. My soldier brain wants to be loyal to art as a domain, and my artist brain wants my observers to ask questions, create a sense of wonder.

Even as I write this, and edit it, and re-edit it, I am toying with my own sense of self. A very amusing Hawthorne effect, or even an ode to Schrödinger. With my own internal reflection, I am changing. Piece by piece, as I encounter my own self. So inevitably, this statement will become obsolete upon its completion. But, but, but. I must allow it to persist

Being on the “inside” of art as an institution. When I describe art as an “institution”  I imagine walking into St. Peter’s Basilica or the Domo. It’s an awe inspiring, magnificent piece of human creation, that required years and many thousnads of people to design it, engineer it, build it, and finish it. And to be  alive and allowed inside of such places to appreciate their beauty and all that it took to get there. Is something taken for granted. It’s easy to be an outsider and pound on the door shout at everyone to let you in.  as if you have a God given right to be included in such a hallowed place.

Do I have a right to be here? I certainly have a right to try, I have a right to develop my skills and produce work that will let me in the gates of the Art world. But I can’t kick in the door, I need help opening such a huge door.  Technical expertise isn’t enough on its own. Artistic Intent is not enough on its own. I am struggling to continue this statement. I only started it because of a book, a book meant to help me get through institutional barriers in the Art world. That is why I got Making It in the Art World from the library, and why I am now working through “Workbook 6,” crafting an artist statement. Something I’ve learned from this exercise is that writing one requires a deep interrogation of myself, my desires, intentions, wants, needs, and even my fears.

To Be Continued…