Artist statements

I managed to escape the roar of the city for the hum of the country for a few days this week. Insert inhale/exhale here. Beyond sleeping, reading, eating and walking (a few of my favorite things) I found a few quiet moments to ponder my latest personal challenge - writing a new artist statement.
It's not that my most recent statement no longer has validity, more that I feel my work and I have undergone a substantial shift this year and, well, to be honest when I read my statement I kind of cringe. This is not good.
What is it that I do and why do I do it? The stuff of sleepless nights.
In previous statements I have focused on the influence of nature on my work and for good reason. The natural environment plays a large part in my understanding and exploration of design, beauty and timelessness. I guess the latter is a key word here. Nature is timeless and 'timelessness' goes some way toward answering the "why do I do it" question.

In her artist statement ceramicist Carol Epp expresses her aim to "add value to an object that could extend it's life beyond the cycle of consumerism". A beautiful way of expressing the concept of timelessness that I am trying to put my finger on.

Recently my urban environment is impacting on my creations and I am really enjoying exploring a personal response to my own work. It has brought up a multitude of issues. How do I represent a constantly evolving urban environment in my work without succumbing to fashions and trends? Is this work more likely to be viewed as representative of an era/style because it reflects a period of time? How do I incorporate contemporary/modern imagery in a piece while still aiming for that all important quality of timelessness?

Can an artist statement be just a series of questions???

Well, it's a beginning...