Post your Artist's Bio Here!

[bmac]

I'm working on my bio this evening, I need some inspiration, and motivation. Why not post yours here so we can all see how each others is different and similar? I'll post my rough draft as soon as I get it closer to porper english

 

[mark]

What is the point behind an artist's bio anyway?

 

[Deniz]

Hi, My Name is Deniz Merdanogullari and i could not be more glad that i am not an artist of any type...
I just like playing with cameras and occasional trip pf the shutter happens when i touch the relase button by mistake.

 

[Peter Schrager]

BIO

Well let's see -I never went ART school. I did a workshop with Fred Picker once and Ilearned to Platinum Print from Arkady Lvov at The New School. Ansel Adams said that after you make 10,000 negatives you START to become a photographer. I've made about 5,000 now and one can start to actually understand what he said. Photographing is about dedication and the love of it NOT about your BIOGRAPHY!

 

[Sean]

I think if you want to sell work you need a good bio. When I start selling at the local gallery I plan to have a professionally printed card hanging under each print that has a bio and a self-portrait of me in my darkroom. Haven't decided what the text will be yet so am also interested in this thread..

 

[Mateo]

I feel for you Brian. There's only one thing I hate more than a bio and that's an artist's statement. I cringe at the thought of reading ones that I've had to write in the past. When you come up with a good one please post it and make sure to leave a blank space where your name goes so that I can plagerize it.

 

[bmac]

What is the point behind an artist's bio anyway?

Something tells me you wouldn't understad even if I explained rrrreeeeaaaalllll slllllooooooowwww..

 

[BWGirl]

Once upon a time in a land far away.... Oh...no wait... that was something else. Er...You know every time I see those things it irks me that they are written in 3rd person. Especially if somewhere the person loses track & includes a statement in first person. "Mr. X enjoys loading film and taking pictures. His unique style is influenced by his interaction with Captain Kangaroo when he was a child....I hope you enjoy this site and buy my pictures." ARGHHH!!!!!
In short, Brian, whatever you write...write it well!

 

[mark]

Something tells me you wouldn't understad even if I explained rrrreeeeaaaalllll slllllooooooowwww..

Oh please Missa Brian, feed me from the tree of yo knowledge. I's promis ta think real hard and listen good, s'long as you talk slow and use words my ignant mind can hold onta.

 

[jd callow]

I had a publicist write one for me which I didn't like (and can't find at the moment), but a newspaper did print one of my images for the show the PR was associated with.

I wrote a narrative that is Bio esq. for a show. I'll post it in the hope that others with more developed Bios will act in kind.

Foreword
Generally, I find the things artists say about their shows to be less than useful. It seems to me that the work either stands up or not, and no amount of words will rescue a bad show nor will they ruin a good one. But, those who are much smarter than I tell me I should include some biographical information and a word or two about the show. If you find the information to be useless feel free to move on to the catalogue -- it is far more telling

Biographical Nonsense
I was at one time a painter. I find myself inadvertently referring to my photographs as paintings even though it has been almost twenty years since I’ve painted seriously. When I went to college, I went to study painting and art history and, through an elective, discovered ceramics. With clay I found a touchstone particularly in low fire white clay bodies and various oxidizing and oxygen reduced (Ra ku) glazes. I have always found a severe beauty in the balance of the material, and the process when filtered through my personal vision. In other words when my vision or idea was good and I chose the proper materials and worked the process correctly wonderful things happened.

I see film and photographic paper as a material to achieve an end. The process of choosing a film, paper, and type of film processing that will best fulfill the requirements of the subject and my vision are an extremely natural way for me to create art. I could not care less about the politics of Fuji v. Kodak or digital v. traditional photography. Each process has a place as do all materials that can be successfully utilized. I had a ceramics teacher once say that there was no such thing as a bad glaze only bad applications. This as much as anything addresses my approach to photographic materials

.

The remainder of the text addresses the show.

 

[Sjixxxy]

I like to think of myself more as a historian then an artist.

 

[rogueish]

Born a number of years ago in Southern Ontario to Scottish immigrant parents. As a teenager was introduced to a Nikon FE, which promptly caused a VERY large number of poor snapshots. Once girls were discovered NOT to gross, the camera got left behind.
Fast forward to a few years ago.
A cheap (and rather beat up) Nikon F401x was discovered and the poor snapshot phase was restarted. Discouraged and tired of lab fees, Mr. Mitchell went in search of better artistic style (HA!) which lead him to the library. Discovering that many tend to steal or destroy library books, he soon moved on. With a love of Black and White pictures, and a discovery that these could be done at home, a darkroom quickly ensued.
After a couple of frustrating "continueing education" classes, Mr. Mitchell has improved (debatable) his ability, moved out of the snapshot phase and now attempts to produce fine art images. I also continue to inflict punshment on myself by taking more bad night classes and the rest of the world but producing questional prints with fancy names, on silver gelatine.
(sorry BWgirl, I just couldn't resist the switch of persons)

 

[sparx]

This is on my gallery page. I don't particularly like it but it will do for now. I wrote it in the third person as this seemed to be the fashion and i am shallow and follow trends.

'born in norfolk in 1971, marcus scott has been interested in visual art for a number of years, with past jobs including cad operator, motocross livery designer and technical illustrator.

more recently he has moved into photography when he bought his first 'serious' camera in july 2003. enrolling on a level 2 city & guilds course has seen marcus's work evolve from colour snaps to hand printed black & white images.

with the end of the course and passes with distinction comes new challenges and marcus is thinking of the future. while the rural landscape of norfolk is a big inspiration he is always looking to expand his personal horizons. future projects include cityscapes and social documentary work.'

 

[BWGirl]

Mr. Callow!!! Most excellent! (I love working with pottery, too! ).
I think a bio should be a personal statement and come from the 'artist'. It feels that much more personal when written that way.

 

[blansky]

One doesn't write in the first person because it sounds like bragging. One writes in the third person so it looks like one actually has friends.

I find writing them quite easy. The trick is not to believe all the bullshit that you write.


Michael McBlane

 

[jd callow]

One doesn't write in the first person because it sounds like bragging. One writes in the third person so it looks like one actually has friends.

I find writing them quite easy. The trick is not to believe all the bullshit that you write.


Michael McBlane

Michael would you like to share?

 

[Donald Miller]

One doesn't write in the first person because it sounds like bragging. One writes in the third person so it looks like one actually has friends.

I find writing them quite easy. The trick is not to believe all the bullshit that you write.


Michael McBlane

Once again Michael has proven to be the catalyst to my creative writing ability. Therefore having given credit where credit is due, I will begin.

Mr. Miller is an accomplished artist currently working in the medium of black and white photography. This follows his equally stellar and noteworthy accomplishments in painting (by number), wood burning, and cow chip sculpture.

He migrated to this present means of self expression after severely burning himself while wood burning. Still later, he discovered that he couldn't count very well and the color scheme in his paint by number images became disjointed and virtually indistinguishable from a childs finger painting. (this comment taked from an actual critique) Ultimately he found that wet cow chips do not stack very well. This fact was further complicated when his former wife commented " you smell like s***".

Considering his age, purchasing his photography would probably be a worthwhile investment since not much more will be produced and very little of it presently exists.


Brian whadda think? Is this what you had in mind?

 

[bmac]

I need a drink...

 

[blansky]

Mr Callow wrote:

Michael would you like to share?

Brian, you've made it to step one. Have the drink. Then have another. Then get with another photographer and have them tell you what they have done. Then you tell them what you have done.

Now start recording.

It should start something like this. "OH YEAH. WELL I HAVE DONE THIS AND THAT AND BEFORE THAT I DID SUCH AND SUCH.

Then they will say. "BIG DEAL. I DID THIS AND THAT AND A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT MORE.

Then you come back with. SHIT THAT'S NOTHING. I EVEN DID THIS, AND THIS AND THIS.

Then they come back with. HA, I WOULDN'T EVEN CALL MYSELF A PHOTOGRAPHER IF I'D ONLY DONE THAT. I REMEMBER I ONCE DID THIS.

Then you go...........well you get the idea.

Well this should go on for a few hours and many drinks with the occasional shot of tequila and voila. You have your bio.

When you have recovered from your hangover. Transcribe your recording and then remember to embellish, embellish, embellish. (sp?)

Write it in the third person as if it were on the biography channel narrated by Peter Coyote and there you have it.

But like I said don't buy into it yourself. It will ruin your relationships and your life. Just hope that others and prospective clients go for it.


Michael McBlane

 

[jim kirk jr.]

Simple Bio:Have camera,will travel...

 

[SLNestler]

bio on web site

Brian,
You have been generous to me in the past, and I hope to be of some help to you. My bio is on my website, for what it's worth.
Regards,
Steven Nestler
http://stevennestler.com

 

[Graeme Hird]

Here's mine, but I'll warn you now, it's a waste of your own time to go and look at it.

http://www.scenebyhird.com/OtherPages/AboutPage.htm

And I vehemently disagree with Sean's assertion that you need a bio or artist's statement to sell your work (in my experience). The only people a bio might impress are other artists (and gallery managers?), but those particular people won't buy much of your work.

Selling your work happens by impressing the people who might buy your work. If you want to sell your work, make excellent pictures - just one of them is worth a thousand words, so how long will your bio need to be for it to be effective? Want to sell a hundred pictures with your 100,000 word bio? Start searching for a publisher now ....

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[papagene]

Since I don't take Artist's Bios very seriously (actually, I don't take much seriously anymore), here is a bio I have used several times in the past:

Gene LaFord… artist, photographer, former ZONE-ite and Grumpy Ol’ Dad received his MFA (Mighty Fine Artist) from Arizona State University. Why? Because it wasn’t here. For some unknown reason, attributed to strong directional ties to the North Pole, Gene resides and works somewhere in Springfield, MA.
Gene’s photographs depict the images hidden in the vast caverns between his ears, images laden with social and political confusion, poking fun at his very own existence. Occasionally he can be found, lost and dazed, wandering around the Quabbin Reservoir, looking for worthy vistas to point his camera at. In his spare time he just sits around pondering the significance of the Blues.

gene

 

[bmac]

Here's mine, but I'll warn you now, it's a waste of your own time to go and look at it.

http://www.scenebyhird.com/OtherPages/AboutPage.htm

And I vehemently disagree with Sean's assertion that you need a bio or artist's statement to sell your work (in my experience). The only people a bio might impress are other artists (and gallery managers?), but those particular people won't buy much of your work.

Selling your work happens by impressing the people who might buy your work. If you want to sell your work, make excellent pictures - just one of them is worth a thousand words, so how long will your bio need to be for it to be effective? Want to sell a hundred pictures with your 100,000 word bio? Start searching for a publisher now ....

Cheers,
Graeme

If you want to impress me, I am afraid you are going to have to pick either "me" or "our" my friend.

 

[Graeme Hird]

If you want to impress me, I am afraid you are going to have to pick either "me" or "our" my friend.

????

Lost me with that one Brian.

I'm not specifically trying to impress anyone on APUG. You guys are never likely to want to buy a print from me, so it would be a waste of my time and effort. Just as impressing other artists with a bio is a waste of time.

My market demographic are the people who can't even set an aperture: they are the people who walk into the gallery from the street. They couldn't give a fat rat's derrière about my education, philosophy or the techniques I employ to make my "art". To paraphrase, "they don't know what art is, but they know what they like".

People buy my prints, not my bull-sh!t (which explains why I have so much of that resource to spread around elsewhere .... )