Craft Space near completion

 Spring in the mountains of Western North Carolina can be a busy time of year.  The countryside is coming to life with flowers, new lambs and gardens begging to be created.  Keeping up with it all can be a daunting task, but we are moving steadily along.  Evening hours are dedicated to making the Craft Space more tidy and with greater accessibility to supplies.  We are almost there!

The rack to the left holds my watercolor, mixed media and sketching papers on top along with alcohol and pigment inks, brushes and supplies to go along with these media.  There is a hanging storage on the left end of the rack that holds acrylic paints and sprays similar to this item available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/TEMUORG-Hanging-Acrylic-Organizer-Supplies/dp/B0DKHLBHYW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HHV2TUT1KT03&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CNDwu64TaUgOAwNEShFC2oEs1qYDR3pBpp6Ei2AU-HOTrG9IaVLf3j2pTIN7YiOSfxHStqRYCtSDJ7-FMeDEKtSML8Bdnm0SLljDAhVfUpclc4jtjcK5n3GPVvl-5PgI.NjiSES5Km2X_jc9O7Y2YPvvSGds7FKF2S8prFZ2wZd4&dib_tag=se&keywords=clear%2Bpoly%2Bover%2Bthe%2Bdoor%2Bhanging%2Bacrylic%2Bpaint%2Bstorage&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1775952451&sprefix=clear%2Bpoly%2Bover%2Bthe%2Bdoor%2Bhanging%2Bacrylic%2Bpaint%2Bstorage%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1&th=1

Watercolor and oil paints are also on this rack along with giftwrap, tags, bags and papers as well as sewing supplies located on the lower shelves.  

The next rack has beading supplies mostly but also some items that rather form a transition to the rack that is along the side of the next wall.  This space is dedicated to tatting on the upper shelves and paper crafting on the lower shelves  The large carrying case with the pink top has more beading items including findings that merge tatting with jewelry making.  

Across the room is this:

The lateral file holds my tatting books and reference materials.  The desk over it has a tempered glass top which eliminates any need for a glass mat for applying inks when I am paper crafting and the cutting mat has a grid that allows me to make measurements as needed for determining sizes when considering smaller paper and mixed media items.  Most of my brushes, markers, pens and pencils as well as pallet knives are also in this area.  

One thing I learned about the internet, especially in the early days, was that nothing there was sacred.  If you found it, (IT being patterns, tips, techniques and so on) it was best to print it out and store it somewhere because websites come and websites go and at any time, what you just found might never be accessible again.  The notebooks on the shelves over the desk hold the items that I have found over the years.  Some of them are duplicated, but as Granny once said: "Better to have and not need than to need and not have."

To the left in this photo you can see the screen for our server on which I have stored many of the videos and other information from our business.  Here too are all the electronics for our household such as internet modem, wi-fi router and central printer.  These are not specific to the crafting, but in  today's world, the internet makes almost everything possible.  

In the coming months, I am going to be giving presentations on several crafts including tatting.  Area weavers have asked if I would give a demonstration and teach them the basics of tatting.  For that I have set up my video station in this area as wel so I can create a visual to help them stay on task with the technique if I cannot give one-on-one instruction during the session.  Currently the video set-up looks like this photo:

The table is on casters for ease of movement and the camera is above the space ready to tape the moves that demonstrate the chosen technique, not just for tatting, but for any medium.  Under the table is an asortment of shoeboxes that contain adhesives, punches and embossing powders that remain accessible when I need them primarily for papercrafting.  When the camera is not attached to the table, I can  move the table into the center of the room and add a tabletop overlay for cutting fabric.  This allows for dress-makeing, quilting or painting of larger objects.  (Yes, all of these things are in the works!)  Off to the right is a rack that holds papers and cardstock as well as my sewing machine, notions box and a few items for floral work.  Of course the broom is for tidying up after the day is done.  

This is the result of more than 25 years of dedicated crafting.  While the organization has been coming together, the crafting has gone on.  You do not see a "comfortable chair" in here.  No, crafting can be dirty work that for me, at least, is often best accomplished standing up or sitting on a stool like the one in the photo above.  There is, however more to come about that "comfortable chair."

Craft and Art

 During the past 6 or 7 months, we have been waiting for our new home to be ready for us to move into, there has been some time for reflection about some of the artistic pursuits I enjoy.  These include knitting, crochet, tatting, sewing, papercrafting, rosemalling (traditional Norwegian painting) and watercolor.  With such an extensive list, it's fair to state that I am not necessarily a master of any of these, although I have been active in many of these since childhood.  

As a tatter, I applied to a local Fine Arts League to enter one of their juried shows while also entering the local area fair's heritage techniques competition.  Twice I was awarded a red ribbon for my entry at the Mountain State Fair, but the Fine Arts League refused to allow my entry to their competition.  Upon asking for an expanation of the rational for declining my entry to such an organization, I was told that quilting is an art form, but tatting is not.  This seemed odd to me so an investigation of Art compared to Craft seemed appropriate.   

Not the highest level of researcher, I turned to the internet and found 2 sources that were intriguing:

https://artincontext.org/difference-between-art-and-craft/

and a video entitled  "How Folk Art Shaped the World We Know Today"  

What I am going to share comes from these sources and others as well.  Art historians H. W. Janson and A. F. Janson open their 1000 page "History of Art" by asking "What makes this Art?"  And this is indeed the quintessential question.  Mankind has been expressing himself by way of a variety of vehicles that are lumped together as "Art." From painting, to sculpture, to carving objects out of wood,  stone and bone, forming vessels from clay and turning animal hair (or human hair for that matter) into wearable clothing of unique style.  There is also photography, choreography, drama, music, creative uses of paper (oragami, for example) or even the making of paper itself; the list seems endless.  And still the question remains: "What makes any given endeavor Art?"  And what keeps tatting from being Art?

In the article "Difference Between Art and Craft - A Look at Art Versus Craft," Isabella Meyer wrote that the division between crafts and arts began during the Renaissance Period.  Beginning at the end of  Medieval Times, the Renaissance in Europe was a time of incredible and rapid growth of social, intellectual, economic and cultural growth that involved more secular individuals rather than the scholar-clerics of the previous age.  The great thinkers of the Renaissance were men and women of many talents who introduced new ways of thinking to their various homelands and pursuits.  During the Medieval times and earlier, the term "artist" didn't really exist.  People who were interested in or possessed an afinity to a particular endeavor would study as pupils or apprentices to a master of the skill.  All of them functioned at the behest of the client and generally speaking it was the patron who received the praise for the finished product.  The Renaissance changed that.

During this time there was an increase in modification to the way things were both considered and carried out.  It was the innovations that led to recognition of increasing numbers of outstanding individuals in given fields.  This meant that the artist became separated from the artisan and was subsequently held in higheer esteem.  Neither made their own tools or even materials, however the artists appear to have moved away from group practice such as had existed in the schools and guilds and into the realm of the solitary practitioner.

Additionally, Meyer, writing for the "Art in Context" organization's website, notes that what is seen as artistic has changed over time.  What is seen as Craft has structure and takes a long time to master.  The same can be said for Art and in many cultures, the distinction between them is blurred.  An object created may be very functional, but the design upon the finished product may be contemplated by the owner / observer and be the source of emotions brought up by gazing upon it.

Everyday objects that were functional for the common people were adorned with markings, or symbols of cultural or personal meaning.  Sometimes these were connected to stories that conveyed meanings to the observer.  Techniques that were associated with either the creation of the object itself or the images which adorned it were often passed down from one generation to the next   The Rennaisance did not affect this as a whole but the industrial revolution did.  Everyday objects were no longer created by the user or someone in their village or clan. Instead these were mass produced by machinery.  Sometimes there were crafters marks that were part of the object, but many times there was not.  It was during this phase that people began adding their own ornamentation to machine-made objects.

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in England in the last half of the 19th century.  It was led by people like William Morris and was an international trend in decorative and fine arts concepts that sought a revival of historic craftsmanship that eventually became the movement we now know as Art Nouveau.

One area this trend has specifically left off is that of fiber arts.  This time-consuming and labor intensive art form is one that has been carried out primarily (although not exclusively) by women.  The products that are created are often from natural elements and subject to breakdown and detioration over time by the forces of nature.   Yet the craftsmanship of preparing the fibers, spinning them into thread or yarn then weaving or knotting them together is more than 20,000 years old.  Fabric historians point to ways of creating cloth that have been lost to usbut may still be found in fabric museums around Europe.  This has come about in part because of the industrialization of weaving, knitting, crochet and lace-making  When an artisan puts himself or herself into one of these endeavors, each part of the process tells a story or has significance to both the person who created it and to the one who uses it.

Much artistic endeavors have endurance on its side: native artwork on the surface of clay vessels, the frescos of Italian churches, the plays of Euripides, the poetry of Homer, Dante and Chaucer, the Scandinavian designs on furniture and so many more.  Meyer and others point to function verses emotion as being the dividing line between Art and Craft.  But there is so much more, because what ever is created has a process that arises from desire and can connect the viewer to that desire, whatever the art form.    

Tatting seems to fall into the arena of Folk Art because of its  Living Tradition essence.  It is a practical skill yes, but one that over time has morphed in the hands of cultures around the world and has become a true artform reflecting the life and personal artestry that is unique to the creator.  Folk Art reminds us that "Art" is not confined to museums or galleries.  Art belongs in our homes and in our everyday lives.  It connects us to ourselves and to where we have come from.

Yes, there is Folk Art and there is Fine Art.  And they both have a place.

New Times, New Blog!

Through the recent pandemic, I've been as isolated as I neede to be to protect myself, my family, my crafting buddies and my clients from becoming ill. Being this sort of confined opened opportunities for continued growth in the crafting world. This has brought me a lot of happiness and made some of it shareable with those I care about. The first thing I was able to do was to turn an outbuilding into. . . The Art Barn!! It's not very big - about 12 feet square, but it has 2 lofts for storage and with the shelving, craft table and organizational items, has been a life-saver - well more of a sanity-saver - over the past several years! Since setting everything up, I have been collecting stamps, dies, papers and other embellishments for creating hand made cards for all occasions. Christmas card greetings for the holidays are items I have created during times gone by, but I'm adding to my skills and collections. Cards for birthdays, graduations, special events and others can be pricy! I checked out Target several years back and at that time a hand-made card was more than $7.00. It doesn't take long for that to translate into $100.00 or more and the crafting items will allow many more than the 12 or 13 cards that $100.00 will buy. Even from other outlets such as Dollar Stores and grocery or variety stores, the occasions rack up quickly. Tatting contiinues to be my primary crafting focus, although I have also renewed my interest in knitting and sewing. I'm sure there will be more to come - with Autumn and Winter approaching, outside times will become inside times.