Declaration of Intent

I'm applying to join a group of local artists, and needed to write an artist's statement. I realised as I did so that really, what I was doing was describing my practice, and the purpose behind it, so I thought I would share it here, as much as a reminder for myself of what it is I'm in business to do, as anything else. Sometimes, we get sidetracked. What would your declaration of intent be like?

Marion is a Scottish artist living and working in the Norfolk countryside, and the author/publisher of three books, with two more currently in production. In textiles, Marion specialises in working with non woven polyester industrial cloth; she also creates oil paintings and mixed media work. She has an interest in landscape, particularly in erosion and cracks, scars or marks on natural surfaces such as stone, and the way in which the mind attempts to impose meaning on such randomly generated marks. This has led to an exploration of rust dyeing, which generates random marks onto fabric, as well as working with natural found objects such as driftwood, bark and stones, while the purchase of a large professional quality inkjet printer last year has led to the beginnings of a series of work using manipulated images of random marks printed directly onto fabric, which will be used either as pieces in themselves or as additions to paintings and mixed media work. This interest has further led to exploring the space between textile and mixed media work, and between textiles and painting, predominately focussed on mark making. The work, regardless of medium, invites the viewer to interpret those marks, whether they be stitch, paint or ofound object, and to find their own personal meanings for each piece or series of pieces.

The image, above, is a manipulated, constructed image taken from a photograph of cracks on a wall.

Can't Draw?

Try thinking of it as mark making. I know I do! I was wandering through a sketch book, thinking about the way that, with practice, my mark making has become more sophisticated, so that I can, in fact, begin to express what I want with it. (In case you were wondering, that's not a function of talent; it's a function of practice. You too can do this thing. Trust me!)

Sometimes, of course, I just make marks for fun... like this one. To me, she looks like a girl in a new dress, not entirely sure of herself, wondering if she looks okay... but to you, she might seem something else entirely. And that is the joy of it all, to me, at least. It doesn't matter what I might have intended (nothing much, as it happens...just making marks, and then more marks, until I'd finished); what matters is what you see. Please do tell me what you see...