Self promotion surely is the most excruciatingly awkward thing. I can’t imagine it comes easily to anyone. But as a self employed person, when one’s whole income relies on self promotion, there is no avoiding it.
As a creative I’m well aware that what I make isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but everything I produce is a part of me, so showing what I make to the world at large is fraught with apprehension. Even more so when it comes to putting oneself forward for consideration and judgement by galleries - the gatekeepers of the art world.
I recently made an application to be considered for representation by an online gallery. The application fell flat and I decided not to give it any more thought in order to preserve my dignity and delicate self-confidence. Then, when hunting through my files for some scraps I recalled writing which explained the recent work I’ve been making, I came across my notes.
In the application I was asked for an ‘Artist’s Statement’. I had to look up what this was as this was the first time I’d been asked for such a thing. Google told me it was ‘a written explanation by the artist that describes their work, including the ideas, motivations, processes, and influences behind it. It provides context for viewers, helping them to understand and appreciate the art by connecting it to a broader concept or intention. The statement should be written in the artist's own voice, be specific and clear, and can take various lengths, from a short paragraph to a more detailed document, to inform curators, critics, and the general public about the artist's practice’
Like being back at school and having to write some dreadful ‘Personal Statement’ but make it good; and make it sell you, and your work, and summarise all those mixed up feelings of history, and tone, and material, and rhythm, and flawedness, that somehow coalesce into a piece of your artwork. Not much, just that.
So I reread this small piece of writing, that i’d put aside and tried to forget, and I remembered all the hours of editing and fixating on every turn of phrase, and I liked it. Even though it hadn’t sold me.
I thought I’d leave it here, so that it’s not hidden away. It does what it was meant to do - it describes clearly and concisely who I am and what I (currently) do.
Elle Kemp, Herefordshire, Interior Designer with a background in Fashion Design.
Medium: small block printing, inks and pencil marks on paper, fabric and lime paint, in reclaimed frames or bound as passpartout plates.
Style and inspiration: storied folk art, sampler style graphics, historic textiles, and domestic decoration.
My pieces aim to echo the soulful beauty of simple domestic arts, historically dismissed as mere decoration, yet rich with unspoken narratives. Inspired by fragments of pattern - textiles, wallpapers, embroidery, particularly samplers and needlework. Rooted in a reverence for the beauty of age these works are layered with tone and patination to feel timeworn, as though neglected by time and society.
The first series of passpartout plates are sketches of provincial character played out through architectural forms, my second series is a work in progress, inspired by the awkward charm of souvenirs and the obliqueness of memory.
