Artist Crafter or Artisan

[Nicola Thomson]

This is something which has long irked me.

The idea that art is a framed pic on the wall, craft is something little old ladies do and artisans ... mmmmmmm thats trickier.

OK, art is everything, a crafter needs more skills than a pure artist...in order to express themselves in their chosen piece they may have to draw on many different skills, and take a long time learning to be able to.

I become somewhat cross when people refer to craft as if its a second class citizen ..........

I came across a couple of comments along this vein at my exhibition........so I asked them to define art, to define craft...well they burbled around the edges for a while.

As stitchers we have it all ways, we are creating art pieces using a needle instead of a paintbrush, a yarn instead of paint.(Note I use the word yarn, not confining it to cotton or wool, for example).

Phew...feel better for that, Im preaching to the converted :)

I am a little old lady :)

[Nicola Thomson]

Well my textile pieces were admired and liked..but no sales :(

[Nicola Thomson]

Yes  colours here are bright..think of parrots , fairy wrens and hibiscus.When I lived in UK I still did brights though...why are winter fashion colours so dready when thats when we need cheering up..never figured that out!!

Peggy I too look at some daubs and think   what..............?

[Peggy Kimble]

You have expressed so perfectly how we all feel.  I look sometimes at the scratches that are named "art" and wonder-----------  thankyou for this   -  from another little old lady, proud of my medium.

[Anna Maria Salehar]

Hi Nicola, Hope you slept well...The Tropical Bloom is really bright! It should catch people's eye. It is interesting how different color pallets define hemispheres of the globe. In NW Europe where our light is cold and gray, the palette is "more neutral"...i.e grayish...You live in a place were these tones would "wash out"...and so you can do bright! I almost never can use red...except in poppies. I am going to have to try to fix that.  Breaking out!  All the best, Anna Maria

[Nicola Thomson]

One of the organisers saw my solo exhibition,loved the mixed medium ones and asked that I enter some for the one shes doing.At least they will stand out from the crowd he he....one of them is Tropical Blooms(see my pics).Going to bed...its 11 pm here   night night

[Anna Maria Salehar]

Dear Nicola,

Fingers crossed that your work gets accepted. If we keep gate crashing "art"  exhibitions eventually we may be able to break down the walls between textile and "art"....There are lots of fabulous artists who use stitches in stead of paint!  Good luck..let me know how you went! All the best Anna Maria

[Nicola Thomson]

Your mission statement sounds like mine, but in much better prose!

I have entered some textile pieces in an exhibition this coming weekend, it will be interesting to see the reactions!!

[Anna Maria Salehar]

Hi Nicola,

I share your sentiments completely. I am there for trying to use embroidery and needle skills to make "art" circles sit up and take notice...and expand their horizons. If you have time...have a look at my "statement" on my website www.artembroidery.nl and you will see " where I am at"...on the spectrum of craft vs. art.  And by the way, I have just entered "Antonia"  into an expo here...blind judging, and she will hang in a proper art museum for two months in the Hague..one of 200 canvases chosen from a field of 3000 "art" pieces submitted.  One small stitch for embroiders!  There are two men in proper art circles who use thread with paint to "create"  canvases. According to the TV documentary one of them hires young women to sew who don't even know how to sew...Shock effect this...not real ly what we embroiderers want is it.  All the best, Anna Maria

[Elaine Wilding]

Hi Nicola, I too am a little old lady who is a crafter, artist and needleworker. Sometimes when doing a piece I will first draw it then sew it then embellish it then add crochet to it. If i run into something I want to do to a piece then I learn something new.  My skill s are constantly growing. My moto is when you stop learning you die so I keep on learning, keeping my life interesting. Some of my piece are ufo's because I have not figured out what I want to do  to one part of it. But then I will see something on one of my craft shows or in a book and know that is what that piece needs. So, I totally agree with you that sometimes crafters get a short stick because most them are over the top talented with many skills.