Detail: River of Longing 8 24x80" oil on panel ©2009 Janice Mason Steeves How often have I rewritten my artist's statement over the years? Endless times. It's a work-in-progress. As my painting changes, I have to rewrite it. As I complete another grant application or apply for a residency or have an exhibition, I have to rewrite it. Although I enjoy writing, working on my artist's statement feels like a form of torture. There is something about the process that is incredibly difficult. It requires objectivity to write it. I paint intuitively. I don't conceptualize the work or the project beforehand, which makes it difficult to be objective. A couple of years ago, I bought an e-book from Alyson Stanfield called " The Relatively Pain-Free Artist's Statement . It took me through a 20-day lesson plan. It's step-by-step approach to looking at your art and your lif...