Hey all --

[Hostajunkie]

Hey everyone! I just came over from WetCanvas at Yorky's suggestion.

Me? Arts and crafts are in my blood and I'm into everything.... I'm a long-time basket weaver and I also like to paint/sketch/create things when I can find the time. I prefer acrylics, but have been trying other mediums over the past few years. I'm also an avid gardener (in and out), golfer, and love to cook and especially love to bake!

 

[KreativeK]

Hello Hostajunkie, nice to see you again!

 

[Hostajunkie]

Hello KreativeK — thank you! I’m very happy to see you and a few other familiar names here. I found WC at a time when I needed inspiration and hope to find the same here.

 

[snoball]

Welcome Hostajunkie, glad to have you here.

 

[Artyczar]

Hi there Hostajunkie. Welcome welcome! It's nice to have you here. I hope we can provide you lots of inspiration and friendship. I love that you are into a lot of different things (me too!). Make yourself comfortable here. I look forward to your future posts.

 

[Hostajunkie]

Thanks for the welcome, snoball and Artyczar!

 

[16ga]

Welcome to the site

 

[Hostajunkie]

Thank you, 16ga!

 

[Queen Bee]

Welcome! Glad to see you made it over.

 

[Joan T]

Welcome! I will be looking forward to seeing your work.

 

[Terri]

Welcome to Creative Spark! Happy that you joined us! I'm already in awe of your amazing basket weaving skills. ❤

 

[Hostajunkie]

Thank you, Queen Bee, Joan T, and Terri!

 

[AiArts]

Welcome, Hosta. I hope you don't mind I called your Hosta. Cool basket weaving skills you have on top of arts and crafts.

 

[Hostajunkie]

Thank you, AiArts. Yes, hosta is a fine nickname! and, fwiw, I’ve always been disappointed / discouraged / and frankly insulted that basketry is always categorized as a (lowly) craft when I compete.

 

[Queen Bee]

Thank you, AiArts. Yes, hosta is a fine nickname! and, fwiw, I’ve always been disappointed / discouraged / and frankly insulted that basketry is always categorized as a (lowly) craft when I compete.

Personally I do not think of basketry as a lowly craft. It takes a lot of skill and patience. Not that I know that from experience just observation.

 

[Artyczar]

I have never seen basketry, or craft for that matter as a lesser art in any way. Sometimes I don't like esoteric words, or esoteric definistions of certain words, like "high" art. I think that just means super contemporary, perhaps including media beyond painting and/or subject matter that's common or familiar, even in the contemporary realm. It could include conceptual art and the like.

This does not mean craft is "low" art! I have seen all kinds of craft incorporated, and fully used in what is called "high" art. I've seen some very sophisticated weaving, rug-making, and all kinds of amazing work as contemporary art. I think all these things can blur lines.

I don't think form necessarily has to supersede function. Not always. Everything depends, ya know? And even if craft is craft solely for function, it is never "lowly." And all of it is ART!

 

[tyree]

So glad you made it hosta ~!!!!

 

[Hostajunkie]

Thank you, tyree!

QB and Artyczar, this is a hot topic for me. Every art competition I’ve ever entered has been categorized as (or similar to) Fine Arts categories: oils, watercolors, acrylics, ink, photography, sculpture, mixed media…. And then there’s always a separate category for “crafts” that’s not part of fine arts, and that’s where my basketry goes. So an entry of popsicle sticks glued onto cards is entered in Fine Arts: Mixed Media, but one of my baskets that took years to develop the skill, and many many hours (sometimes months) to make gets entered in “Crafts”. It’s disheartening.

 

[Hostajunkie]

Fwiw, if you’re ever setting up an art competition, please consider a category of Fine Arts: Fiber (or Fiber Techniques).

 

[Artyczar]

I think it's probably because it's a form/function thing. People consider fine art not to have function. Like I said, "fine" does not mean "better." The fine arts, if you look it up, the no. 1. definition will differentiate something about it being art solely for imaginative or aesthetic content. Whereas craft has a function. Most art people keep with that tradition, but nowadays, fiber arts without function is considered a fine art. That's at least that's some progress I guess? If you weaved something that was not a basket or a container of some kind, it would probably be considered more along the lines of a fine art object (form/function). So I think that's how the "authority" art people/competition runners see all this, if that makes sense. If we were running things, we'd probably turn all kinds of tables and name all the categories completely different titles with different definitions. But I guess there has to be a foundation for these things to go by so we can all break the "rules."