Clearing up my Mess

I stand corrected, by Lucy, my sister-in-law, over the word ‘Craft’ and where it sits in the creative world.

Definitions:

Craft: an activity involving skill in making things by hand

Art: the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power…

source, online Oxford Dictionaries.

So where does mosaic sit – somewhere between the two? or being both sometimes?

The Arts and Crafts movement brings up images of the early 20th Century; tiffany, Rennie Mackintosh and all that – and stylistically that is different, but i guess the thought process behind it is the same.  That craft can be art or IS art, at whatever level of technical ability it is.  All in the eye of the beholder and all that.

My current problem is the concept of the ‘craft fayre‘ – note ye olde englishe spelling – where (and i catch myself doing it too) people only go with a limited amount of money, expecting a bargain price, totally undervalued financially… and so the artist gets probably around £5 an hour, or less!  And so how to determine which ‘craft fayres’ attract buyers with realistic expectations and appropriate levels of money in their pocket.  Or alternatively, to find galleries (with their clientele) who are open to the idea that mosaic fits their remit.  More of the hmmm going on in my head.

~ by katycrieff on July 3, 2010.