NYFA Mark program application - draft

I'm applying to the NYFA Mark Bootcamp program, and have been working on the statements all day. Here's a peek - application is due at end of day on Wednesday. Wish me luck xo

ROUGH DRAFT EDITS:

10. Please use 100-250 words to state your goals as to why the NYFA MARK'12 Bootcamp is important to you at this time.

The NYFA Mark program offers an immediate boon to my active art practice. I want to improve my professional communication skills, gain access to a larger network of art professionals, and garner attention for my work. I am very interested to connect with other dedicated artists, and I could benefit from guidance and advice about the business.

For the last 15 years I’ve improved my technical and conceptual levels of art making. Many express that my painting skills are very good. Under mentorship of teachers Rosenclaire I studied art history extensively and its implications. It’s disconcerting to observe a lack of such knowledge base by many educated artists, as well as a market that largely fails to value that heritage. We should restore depth to contemporary fine art.

Although I’ve remained independent, produce my own exhibitions and sell privately, that shouldn’t preclude connection with professionals that help elevate my practice to the next level. I’m eager to employ new ways to promote, and my new studio space promises more production, so I’m inviting the exposure. I will hone my skills and improve the way I present my work to the world. I sincerely believe that the collective would benefit from access to my art, especially since it resonates with a motive to find meaning and integrity at a time perhaps when we need it most.
Please provide a narrative bio that details your artistic career (100 - 300 words)

I’ve been an artist my entire life. As a child, I participated in the Guggenheim’s Learning To Read Through The Arts program; my work was not only shown in the museum, but was chosen to be the poster for the program that year.

I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1996, graduating with High College Honors. My junior year was intensely enriched at the Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence Italy, where I studied under Rose Shakinovsky and Claire Gavronsky ("Rosenclaire”). I have studied with the collaborative duo, via workshops and private residencies, in the United States, Europe, and South Africa. During many years of training, I have also continuously worked in studio, having been encouraged by selling early pieces in small shows and also to private patrons. Subsequently I chose to prioritize a deeper meaning of art over merchandising product by remaining faithful to the content of the work.

I have exhibited and performed both nationally and abroad. I was an Artist in Residence at the Michaelis School of Fine Art (Cape Town), in 2007, and participated in the Domestic Departures workshop (Santa Ana) the same year. In 2009 I was selected to join the New York Studio Gallery’s summer residency, and was in the Art In Everyday workshop (New York City). Recently, I performed atop Rosenclaire’s Soap Boxes in collaboration with the South African National Gallery, and entered two group shows; at Roos Arts (Rosendale, NY), and Linksoul Lab (San Diego, CA). My first solo show in the Hudson Valley was at Roos Arts in 2011. Currently I am curating an exhibition in an empty storefront in Kingston – to extend my exposure in the area, and in an effort to find the right forum for my work.

12. Please include your Artist Statement (work statement) here. This statement should talk about you as an artist as well as specifically reflect the work samples you've submitted and explains your work to the panel. (Up to 250 Words)

My paintings are an exploration of the human condition. I work predominantly with the human figure as the vehicle through which all sensations of life are experienced: love, heartbreak, loss, and the possibility of redemption. I draw from art history to underscore painting’s philosophical and alchemic lineage, and am interested in communicating deeper emotional states of being through the metaphoric use of color, brushstroke, and composition.

Beginning with experiences from my own life and then moving outward, I draw connections between my personal history and the stories of others. The subject of each painting may refer to my own individual pain or misfortune, quietly captured in a moment of stillness, but it is my intention to allow for a space of catharsis by simultaneously revealing an inner strength and endurance of the spirit.