For the juried show I’m in currently I had to write an artist statement and short bio for them to have on hand to explain my approach, outlook and process.  Here is what I submitted:

Short Bio:

As a lifelong artist, Polly Castor, works in many mediums: oil, pastel, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, mono-printing, collage, photography, and pottery. Her creative approach of cross-pollinating these mediums with one another brings original results. Her particular passion is working within the full range of abstraction, from impressionism to non-objective art, with particular emphasis on abstract conceptualism, which is the depiction of specific ideas, feelings, and actions.

In addition to painting, Polly gives talks and workshops on abstract art. She is also a blogger, and has blogged every day for over nine years on www.PollyCastor.com. She lives in Bethel, Connecticut.

Artist’s statement:

Art to me is a process of spiritual discovery. It is a way of meditation, a time of connecting with what is both beyond me and within me. It is the outcome of prayer, and can be a form of prayer itself. My goal is to evoke what underlies and encompasses all creation, in representational as well as abstract forms.

I observe and amplify the good around me. I am in love with color and can never have too much of it. Enjoying the interplay and juxtaposition of hue, tone, texture and shape, I am fascinated with the way each contributes unity to the whole. Art resolves issues and raises new questions, which in turn, uncover fresh ideas to explore. Art is freeing, exciting, joy inducing, percolating with inspiration, and is a celebration of authenticity.