Breakaway

Biggie > Better

Hi Andrew – I like how you start your artist statement with a personal anecdote from your childhood! It provides insight into your early interest finding hidden places and discovering new things. I also really like the sentence “It’s not like I check every dumpster” and laughed out loud when I read it. This is a good example of how you use humorous and casual language to more clearly describe your process and inspiration.

            Overall, I think you establish a strong relationship with the unexpected trough your specific experiences from childhood and references to forms, compositions, and textures you come across in daily life. However, I wish I knew more about how your process reflects this interest. You say you “are drawn to the unpredictability of clay, glaze, and glass used in combination with one another.” What makes that unpredictable? What makes it spontaneous? Do you find yourself running into challenges in combining those materials? Is there struggle or reward in that process? Basically I think this part could be fleshed out more to support your investigation of the overlooked.

            Biggie > Shortie

            To make your biggie into a shortie, I would suggest consolidating the personal experiences and providing more info about your process. While I think the details about being a boy scout are a great way to introduce your biggie, you could definitely make your main points in a couple sentences in your shortie. Some of the details like “I lie next to my work like an anaconda” provide a great mental image of your engagement with the work – it will be a challenge to retain this information, but I think you can find a balance where the statement still feels specific to your work and authentically you.