An artwork can be made of many things: paint and pencil, glass and stone, photograph and frame. Not least of all, an artwork is made from the artist; and is a piece of them the same as a limb or part of their personality.
In many ways, no matter the subject matter or medium, the artist is ever-present in the work. Sometimes this can be seen physically; in the marks of fingerprints left in clay, or in the expressive brushstrokes on a canvas. Just like a self-portrait, these traces act as a record of the artist, suspended in time.
It can also be seen conceptually in the inspirations and influences, in the decisions of colour, form and composition, materiality and display. The thought processes that lead to a final piece can only ever be unique to the person who created it, and as a viewer we get a glimpse into their mind and soul. The artwork is a true extension of the artist.
