Art or Craft

[BeaverDon]

Someone asked me this the other day and I thought it might be an interesting question to post here:

[As a carver] do you consider what you do "art" or "craft"?

[Mitchell]

Carving is too broad a subject to define as art or craft. "Either" would be my answer depending on what the carver is doing.

Here's a previous thread on the subject: Art vs craft

[Gergie]

I believe Tannerman had this in the forward of one of his Carving books,

" A Laborer works with their hands, a Craftsman works with their hands and their head, an Artist works with their hands, head and their heart".

I don't know if that answers your question, but it works for me.

[Just Carving]

Read Mitchell's link.

And then you can go back to being artsy or crafty.

Me? I'm still a wood carver and that's what I'm doing.

Bob L

[BeaverDon]

I can see this has been discussed before. No one had ever asked me that before and it made me think a little. Obviously, to a carver, what we call it doesn't matter. It's just fun - and we like it.

[Kadiddle]

I think of it as the crafty art of carving. That would about be my answer.
Carve On,
Kadiddle

[Claude]

It depends...

Claude

[Steve Reed]

This debate has gone on for years. "Artists" look down on carvers as participating in a "craft". I had a "showing" one time at an art gallery, a number of "artists" were discussing one of my chip carved designs. They were going on and on about the interplay between light and shadow etc. They noticed me standing there and I introduced myself. They then asked about whether the effect was intentional or accidental. I put on my best "snooty" voice and said . .. "ah hell it's a piece of wood and I hacked it with a knife." You would have thought I just broke wind out loud! Made my day! You could answer that you're an artist whose medium is wood.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Which comes first the chicken or the egg?

[Soggy]

Originally Posted by Eddy-Smiles

Which comes first the chicken or the egg?

Would you be refering to one of those basswood eggs that most carving suppliers sell?............