Do You Consider Woodworkers Artists?

[John Blazy]

Good descriptions, Charles.

The dividing line between artist and craftsman is the creativity involved in the design of the work and the conversation between the artist and the work.
Oversimplified, If one can see the evidence of creativity, its art.

The artist is trying to work out some philosophical, existential, or intellectual problem.
This is true, but I would add one of the most obvious motivations of many common artists. We passionately execute our art because we LIKE it. It looks so freakin COOL to bend that "S" curve, or inlay that stip of stainless in a neo deco way, or whatever - you get the point. It appeals to my aesthetic, and hopefully the viewer's. Now whats controversial and difficult is creating a beautiful piece that encompasses common aesthetic, yet still original. An example of a common aesthetic is utilizing classic motifs like wave forms, balanced curves, Golden ratio, Fibonacci, harmonic or geometric series gradations, intentional complimentary color use of green to set off red woods, etc. plus an endless list any good artist can come up with. You might say that utilizing these common aesthetic motifs make for "pleasing" art, but they really are not original, because they tap into existing motifs. True, but new materials and technology, coupled with outside-the-box thinking allow "originality" by applying these old laws of aesthetics into new manifestations.

A craftsman's focus is the end product. The technical detail. How things fit together. What are the processes needed to arrive at the finished product? Not that there is not creativity in craftsmanship, but the focus of that creativity is the end product itself. Very good answer.



An artisan, by definition is a high-level skilled craftsman, so there are no lousy artisans, again, by definition. Excellent. But an artisan could be a lousy artist I suppose. - this point was drilled home when I majored in furniture design at RIT - and we put it this way: "Excellent design can be ruined by bad craftsmanship, and no amount of stellar craftsmanship will make up for hideous design"

[Art Mann]

My reply as a practicing woodworker and career electrical engineer is this. I am in no shape, form or fashion an artist. The best I can do is recognize good design when I see it. I aspire to excellent craftsmanship. My wife was a professional graphic designer and artist for around 30 years. She does most of the design work that becomes my CNC router products. Other people think they are artistic.

[Wade Lippman]

A woman was talking to me and looked at a few things made through the years. She commented that she wish she knew an artist who could do work like mine. My dad, a professional commercial artist, probably would laugh for days if he heard that. I never really considered woodworking, at least at my level, as art. Do you consider woodworkers artists?

About the same percentage of woodworkers are artists as are commercial artists. A few are, but most just do stuff and the public can't tell the difference.

[Frederick Skelly]

Woodworkers can be artists. Unfortunately, not everyone has that talent and I think it's difficult to teach someone how to be an artist.

+1. I think several of you qualify as artists, for example George Wilson, John Blazy and Derek Cohen.
Me? I'm "decent", but will never be called a Craftsman, much less an Artist.

Fred

[John T Barker]

I've always considered the difference to be that the artist is expressing themselves, the artisan is not. I've always thought highly of the distinction between form vs. function. In my head the craftsman and artisan are working on a piece which focuses on function, even though it may have some decoration. The artist is focusing on form, his expression, while anything the piece "does" is secondary.

[John Stankus]

Do you consider painters artists?

[John T Barker]

Do you consider painters artists?

I had the pleasure of knowing an artist who occupied a studio on the same property where I rented my woodshop space. He was educated at the Philadelphia School of Art and we had many discussions about what was art. We visited an art show of local unknown artists of various kinds and had a discussion about a painter that had painted using a photograph as his "inspiration" (he was looking at a photograph when he put paint to the canvas.) My friend could see this in the painting and shared that he did not see this as artistic, which I would agree with as the artist was not expressing themselves in the piece. Another example was a different painter friend, a woman who was very experienced painting clock faces and furniture, that showed me a painting she was doing. It was a copy of a favorite of hers and she used an art book as her reference. The copy was spot on but clearly she was not being expressive, just extremely talented.

[Robert Engel]

I think craftsmanship and artistry are, of necessity linked. You really can't be one with out being the other.
One refers to the hand/eye mechanics the other mainly design.

An expert craftsman knows there is an art to using hand tools.

An artist knows he can't create anything without craftsmanship.

[jack duren]

Depends on who labels you....