The Artist Statement

     Writing an artist's statement can be intimidating because of the task of summing up all of your work in such a logical and linear manner. This can especially be hard if your work is all over the map or is complex in other forms that cannot be easily discussed or labeled in a written statement. The first thing I did when I learned I needed to write an artist statement was Google the term, unsurprisingly I found little help because of the personal nature of the statement and the fact that it seems you could be the best artist in the world but you would still have a hard time writing this. I attribute this to the fact that artists are just that, they create art and then they (we?) figure that if anyone wants to understand their art they can just have a look themselves and come to their own conclusion, in this sense a statement is almost the antithesis to art.
     Seeing as we have to do it though for the sake of the IB program, I suppose a few pointers would be well received. First of all, look at what you have done by laying all your pieces out in front of you. If you actually have them in front of you when you begin to write you will be able to easily pick out patterns, themes, and motifs behind your work. Try and culminate this themes onto a piece of paper - in doing so make sure the words you choose are delicious and euphonious in nature (these help to provide the dimension that is usually lacking in a statement but present in art). After this try and organize this words into a paragraph; where you proceed to use them to describe your art as well as why and how you did it (remember, IB is big on the rationale behind your work). Because there is a 300 word limit on the statement, make sure you focus on pieces and mediums that you really enjoyed working with. Try to include connections to artists or movements that inspired you, involving the global aspect that IB seems to enjoy so much. Once this is written then turn to the future, explain what you hope to do to continue your art past the confines of IB - but don't fail to connect back to what you've discussed earlier.
      Try to get this done over the course of a couple of days; while it may be short amount of words to write, as with anything written if you give yourself time to reflect it will get infinitely better because you'll pick up on things you missed and give yourself some time to breathe and develop new thoughts. Below is my piece of art for this post, a favorite of mine by the Austrian artist Egon Schiele.
 

Visual Arts and the Extended Essay

Before getting into the actual content of this post, let me briefly introduce myself.
I'm Rebecca, a friend of Clare's who is also taking Art in IB. I'll be guest-blogging here from time to time upon Clare's request.

Moving on, if you happen to be a full, (diploma), IB student, as I am, then one of the requirements for the program is the Extended Essay. Being enrolled in IB Visual Arts gives you what I believe to be a very approachable and interesting subject to consider choosing for your essay.
As a student who recently submitted her Visual Arts EE, I can say that while 4000 words can seem daunting, if you find a subject/topic that really holds your interest it's not really a large number.
Within the subject of Visual Art there really are endless topics that you can choose to focus on, from the work of a specific artist to an artistic movement, to modern architecture and so much more.

Picking a topic may have been one of the more stressful decisions I've had to make in regards to IB. It's very hard to commit yourself to one topic for two whole years, especially when you're as indecisive as I can be.
While it is an important decision, try not to stress yourself out about it too much. If you can't think of a topic, don't panic, you never know where inspiration will come from.

Some suggestions to help with thinking of a topic:

• Read the news
• There's always some type of art sparking some type of controversy somewhere in the world, so go read some articles!
• Watch TV
• Programs like 60 Minutes always have some interesting stories for inspiration
• Listen to the Radio
• I accidentally found one of the resources I used for my EE through a CBC broadcast on art forgery. You never know what you might hear.
• Talk to your mentor
• Your mentor is there to help you and if s/he happens to be your art teacher, (which I would assume to be the case if you're doing a Visual Arts EE), then s/he probably knows you well enough to give you ideas that would really interest you.

I, personally, focused on art forgery in my essay. I found this to be an interesting combination of an English essay and a History essay and the stories behind paintings and forgers themselves were interesting, giving me a lot to write about. I learned a lot about the workings of the art world, from what really goes on in auction houses to how to successfully create and sell a convincing fake, (not that I plan to forge 18th century paintings anytime soon, but it's interesting nonetheless).

So if you're thinking about Art for the subject of your EE, I would highly recommend it.
Here are some resources that may be helpful in pinpointing a topic or deciding if you really do want to take on art as your EE subject.

• You can go here or here, for current articles about art
• To find artists involved in different art movements you can go here

Like Clare, I'll leave you with a painting. Though it's not a painting I particularly enjoy, it is one of the paintings I discussed in my EE, Christ at Emmaus by Han Van Meegeren.

-Rebecca.

Working on Your Sketchbook

     There seems to be two main types of IB art students when it comes to sketchbook work. You either take your sketchbook with you everywhere and do an amazing job at documenting your ideas or (like me) you only think about your sketchbook in fleeting moments of despair when your art teacher reminds you. I find it especially hard to lug around my daunting eight and a half by eleven sketchbook as it seems to make me over think the whole process of developing your artistic ideas. Instead I usually resort to loose-leaf paper in those "'eureka" moments that end up getting lost or crumpled. I have actively made it my resolution to carve out time in my schedule to put pen to paper and just do something that I can hand in at the end of my IB art career. While I have gotten better of working in my sketchbook there is still room for improvement, and so I have decided to give you all some tips on how to settle down and get some creative sh*t done.

     Before I get to that though, let me remind you of the IBO's requirements for art sketchbooks (or as they call them: investigative workbooks):
- pages need to be 8.5" x 11"
- include equal parts writing to drawing or other original artwork
- cite all references and images you use (eg: books, websites, magazines, etc)
- depending on your stream of IB art, sketchbooks will be worth either 40% or 60% of your final mark (make sure you know which stream you are in!)
- include pages numbers and dates
Ask your teacher for any other pertinent information that he/she might want you to include

     Maybe you don't even know what to put in your sketchbook, at first you can try framing each entry in one of the following four ways:

1. Personal Art Based Entry:
- start by drawing/painting anything you like
- then analyze why you like it and why you don't (eg: I like the colour and subject but it could use more texture) and what you can do to further the art in the studio
- research ways to implement any of those changes
- reference where you got your inspiration (and possibly include pictures)
- mention how it connects to your theme, your society, your school work or yourself

2. Experience Based Entry:
- start by writing down what your experience was (art gallery, movie, book, a walk you took, travels, etc)
- include photos of the art or images you saw in the gallery or a movie-still and discuss what you like about them 
- analyze how this connects to your theme and art you've completed so far
- discuss how the experience might influence the directionality you might take on your next piece of artwork
- include preliminary sketches for this possible pieces of artwork 

3. Progress Based Entry
- use your sketchbook as a template to help plan, execute and reflect on pieces of art you have completed
- write down initial ideas/edits to those ideas and include preliminary sketches and photos of work that inspire you
- connect the purpose of creating this particular piece of work to your studies, travels, society and own aspirations
- take photos of how your work progresses and make notes
- include a final photo of your work and reflect on changes you made to your original idea and how it relates to your theme

4. Entry on a Mentor
- choose an artist who inspires you and include some images of their work
- write up a short biography on the artist
- start making sketches using inspiration from that artist as well as your own techniques and style
- discuss how to incorporate what you like about their art into your theme

     So without further ado, here are some good tips (that I might or might not always put into practice myself):
- again, focus on doing equal parts writing to artwork
- make everything you write personal; connect your art and inspirations to your society, its culture and history and (of course) your theme
- attack your work from different points in time; write about a piece of art before you start creating, during the time you're working on it and after you are finished
- discuss anything you like in the world of art, including particular mediums, movements and periods (and try to connect it to yourself and your theme)
- use your sketchbook as a way to branch out and explore things you normally wouldn't, not all your preliminary research and sketches need to lead to a finished piece of work
 - you can always go back to a couple of core topics to discuss: mood, medium used, composition, content and format

     In closing, remember to have fun and use your sketchbook as place to plant you ideas and record their growth (and don't procrastinate for too long!) This week I have included two photos taken by Henri Cartier-Bresson, a French photographer who helped introduce modern photojournalism. 


Hyeres, France 1932


Picnic on the Banks of the Marne, France

To learn more, I recommend you visit:
 http://erickimphotography.com/

              - Clare

Art and the TOK Presentation

       I recently completed my theory of knowledge presentation, while I have not received my marks back at this point I believe that for any student completing an IB art course you have the wonderful opportunity to involve the things you have learned as part of your art curriculum. Art presents a wonderful pool of multidimensional real life situations and knowledge issues that make it a perfect subject to explore and connect with your TOK lessons.
       I instantly knew I wanted my presentation to involve art, as it can be easily connected to everything. (That's right, I said everything - math, biology, psychology, ethics, reason, emotion, geography, history, the list goes on.) The trouble I had was actually picking one real life situation and trying to stay on topic throughout without sounding like I was going on some wild art rant.
Because nothing is right or wrong in art you can manipulate it to say whatever you want, given you back up your points with evidence. Opposed to studies and theories, art generally has lots of reviews, critiques and commentaries you can draw opinions and concepts from.
       Before you can sit down and start preparing your presentation you need to find a point where you can jump off into. Think of it like this: before you jump off a diving board (your real life situation/KI) you need to make sure there is enough water to catch you so that you don't break a bone on the bottom, but not so much that the currents will drown you in a slow and predictable manner. So basically before you start making your presentation ensure you have enough evidence and information to cushion your fall but not too much too suffocate and overwhelm you.
I realize that knowledge issues can be hard to come by, but go back to my post on inspiration and try to find some area of art knowledge that really sets you off. Then write out some preliminary notes and let your creative juices flow before you get "organized". Some issues in art you could discuss are;
- what is art?
- what is controversial in art?
- what is beauty's place in art?
- art and ethics, is there a moral right and wrong?
- art as an interpersonal and intrapersonal concept?
- art and culture/class/language
- reasonable ways to critique art (reason, ethics, values)
These obviously aren't fully developed KI's but they provide a base point, find something you love and learn about it until you have enough perspectives and evidence to make a presentation.
       Lastly, because your presentation is on art you can include different examples from movements throughout art history and have them support or refute your KI. In doing so make sure you show lots of images to engage the audience and help them further their understanding of your presentation.

I have decided to include a favorite piece of art at the end of each post I make from now on:
This week's is Carcass of Beef by Chaim Soutine
 
All the best on your TOK presentations,
         Clare

Ideas for Inspiration

     Inspiration can be hard to find, and when you do it's always important to jot down your idea or image before it's gone. This is where a sketchbook or notepad comes in hand, while you might not want to tote a large, bulky book around you can always keep a smaller version with you and then later translate those ideas into the sketchbook you will be handing in. But where can you even begin to find inspiration? It can come from anywhere and at any time, and as school descends again I usually get caught in a funk. I wake up, go to school, come home, do homework and repeat. What ends up happening is that there is nothing new being injected into my life and art gets put on the back-burner. When I do find the time to focus on my work I have no inspiration or motivation on what to put my energy into.
    Below I am going to share some of my favorite places to get the right side of your brain up and running again, but first there is something you should do right away... get outside! Go for a walk, bring a notepad, a camera, a pail or a recorder and just walk. Make sure you clear your head of all your other subjects' work and personal to-do's and walk around. Keep your eyes and ears open, if you don't have much time just walk around your house - if you have more time try walking farther away. Observe the world from different perspectives (both physical and mental). When you think of something make sure to ponder it, let it sit, develop it, drop it and come back to it. Only go back inside when you have one good, solid idea.

    Great! 
If you totally ignored everything I just said that's okay, just make sure to come back to it - if not for your art then at least for your health.
   
    Now, here are some things you can do on your computer. Starting with visually driven websites:
        - Pinterest
        - Tumblr
        - Stumbleupon
        - 500px

When you get there, explore and drift. Waste some time (and make sure you take notes). Listen to some new music; either on Youtube or on 8 Tracks or Stereo Mood or even watch a movie. Here are a few favorites to get you started:
        - A Single Man
        - Beautiful Losers (Doc)
        - Exit Through the Gift Shop (Doc)
        - Mona Lisa Smile
        - Helvetica (Doc)
        - Waste Land (Doc)
    Make note of sites and artists you like, or feelings you get and want to learn to replicate with your art. You could also always pick up a book on something you want to learn more about.

    Last but not least, you should spend some time getting to know your fellow IB art students in your cohort and what they are doing. You can bounce ideas of them, get some positive critiquing going and just chat about nothing in particular - who knows what might come up and lead you to a new project?

Thinking of a Theme

     One of the first things you will likely be asked to do when you begin your time as an IB art student is to develop a theme of which all of your work will be centralized around and grow from. The theme in this sense is obviously very important to your work, and the sooner you figure out what yours is going to be the sooner you can start "making art". Right? 
     This is what I thought when I started the program, I was told to think of a theme - something specific yet general enough to give me room to work with many concepts and platforms of art. I soon realized that this was extremely difficult. This thing that I had to choose at the beginning of grade eleven would dictate what art I could pursue up until the time I graduated. My thought process went a little something like this....
1. Random broad ideas of no great value 
2. Random specific ideas of no great value (for a month I thought my theme would be birds .... I don't even like birds that much, they kind of scare me)
3. Giving up and just doing some raw "uncensored" art (this is important)
4. Gradually figuring out what I like (and don't like) to do
5. Assigning a name 
     That name would end up being my theme, something I am now almost 100% pleased with, but as you can see I wasted a lot of time in the beginning trying to find words to describe the art I would go on to create.
     This was all wrong - so learn from my lesson! Instead of spending the first couple of months trying to find a theme, a title to define the work you would later create, let your theme come to light and expose itself as you experiment with different art forms and find your niche. This isn't a math question where logic rules and you have defined steps to get you to your answer and it's not an English paper where you can brainstorm what you want to say based on prior knowledge. This is art; something that looks like the easiest subject in the IB hexa-thing but is probably the hardest because of the amount of motivation, exploration, trust, talent, and perseverance the student has to have (not to mention the personal development they have to go through). 
     Another thing to remember is that you need to create ten to fifteen works, while that may seem like a lot it really isn't in the grand scheme of things - so don't blow the situation out of proportion. Take time to explore different ideas before you settle down with one, and always know that you are in control of where you take your theme as it grows and develops over the course of a year or two. 

    Before I go I thought it would be only right to disclose my personal theme with you as it currently stands: Patchwork and Pattern.