We practice art therefore we are artists.

At least that is the conclusion I came to after listening to a very interesting lecture given by Janet Koplos, a New York based art critic and frequent guest editor of American Craft magazine, at the California College of the Arts in Oakland a few days ago.

But is it really that simple?

In 2003 the California College of Arts and Crafts dropped the word "Crafts" from their name. Too old-fashioned? Their academic program today has about 21 craft majors including Painting/Drawing, Architecture, Fashion Design, Sculpture and Furniture. So we are artists?

Are we not craftsmen? (Or, as we are called in the modern age, craftspeople?)

A century or so ago we were craftsmen. The British Arts and Crafts movement started in the late nineteenth century as a backlash away from the industrialized, machine-produced, way of life. People wanted better, more unique hand-crafted furniture, etc. These were made by skilled craftsmen who had served a long apprenticeship to their trade.

The American Arts and Crafts movement started in the early twentieth century and produced many well-known names including William Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright.

But over the last 30 or so years the word "craft" has been debased. It has become associated with things people make that are cute; Two cotton-reels-on-a-stick type of things. People lost the respect for "craftsmen" as they no longer knew any. Machines, new materials such as plastic and overseas manufacture meant traditional craftsmen were no longer needed and were not being trained through apprenticeships. "Craft" no longer implies skill.

The art of painting and drawing can be considered in a similar way. For example it takes great craft skill and learning for an artist to paint in the style of the great classical landscape artists. But not all art needs great craft skills. Both types of artist need the "eye"; the capability of visualizing the composition and color of their work to make them satisfying to the beholder.

So are all artists craftsmen and all craftsmen artists? – No.

My view is that artists have the eye for what looks "satisfying". Good design, harmonious color. Work that invokes feelings. There are artists who may have the "eye" but their execution requires no great skill and can be copied by anyone with minimal training. Not all artists have great craft skills.
Craftsmen have the skills that enable them to use their hands to execute the creation of something of beauty. There are woodworkers who can make precise, well constructed furniture but only from detailed drawings. They cannot produce the furniture that brings out the advantage of the unique characteristics of a given piece of wood. They do not have the "eye".

So how do we define the people who have both the artistic talent and the craftsman skills? - We call them masters.

But masters know that the "master level" is never reached. It is always above them. There is always more to learn and skills to improve.

Woodworking is in one of those master classes. You never get to the end of the learning road.

That's what makes it so interesting. Enjoy your woodworking this year and remember your work will always be even better next year – provide you keep on learning, which is where BAWA comes in.