Process: The Map to the Mind of the Artist

“Artistic process is valued because it gives us
insight into the mind of the artist. Artistic process
takes many forms and is as personal and individual
as the final works of art. Some artists work
intuitively, so content and development emerge
at the same time, during creation of the piece itself.
Some artists follow a strong pre-production schedule
(researching, sketching, and planning before making
the final piece). Some artists write. Some artists
work in solitude. Some artists only work collaboratively.
For some artists, the process is the art. Process pieces
offer insight and add depth and value to the work itself…

Process should clearly identify the creative,
conceptual, and technical processes involved in
making the work. This interest is sometimes
technical, but more often it is about development
of ideas, translation of ideas into images, and the
choices and decisions that were made along the
way. The goal is to make visible the creative
process of the artist.”

These words are taken from a 2002 Call for Entry to the Association of Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Graphic and Interactive Techniques.

It’s interesting how closely this resonates with our own desire to understand how other artists work. Some textile artists, through their blogs and/or web sites, are beginning to share their process. Starting tomorrow I will begin to post information about some of them.