[Woodcarver] Not a "Master Carver?"

[Ivan Whillock Studio]

Is a welder an artist or a craftsman?  Some welders create sculpture; some
welders put together utilitarian objects.  Wood carving, like welding, is
merely a process.  It can be used to create art and  it also can be used to
create a craftwork. Our discussions of "art" and "craft" as related to wood
often confuse the distinction between process and product.  Thus the
question of whether wood carving is an art or a craft is a bit like asking
if WELDING is an art or a craft.  The distinction is not the process but the
product.  A magnificent welder putting together a utilitarian object is
still a craftsman; a lousy welder making a sculpture is still an "artist."
It ain't the quality of the process, or the magnificence of the work, it's
the character of the product.  Great craft is still craft.  Lousy art is
still art.

Some excellent artists have been poor technicians and some excellent
technicians have been poor artists.



Ivan Whillock Studio
122 NE 1st Avenue
Faribault, MN 55021
Visit my website at
 http://www.whillock.com
Visit my Picturetrail album at
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=ivancarve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Dillett" <jdillett at thecarvingshop.com>
To: "[Woodcarver]" <woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2004 7:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Not a "Master Carver?"


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>
>
> > It appears to me that could well be the age old discussion about whether
> > carving is a form of art, or a craft.
> > "Master Carver" = craftsman.
> > "Renowned Artist"  = Artist
> >
> > Just my $.02 worth.
> > Byron
> ****************************
> Just like with any profession, there are individuals of every level and
> interest. Some have great technical skill, some with great skill observing
> the human condition and great communication skills and some that have all
> those skills and of those with all those skills and the burning desire to
> use them we might call an artist.
>
> Woodcarving is such a broad area where people tend to specialize in their
> area of interest. I have had many students who work for stair companies.
May
> of them are doing things that other masters wouldn't know where to begin.
> Still the only technology for fitting a curved rail is by hand carving and
> with some very cool mathematics and guesswork. Yet with all that skill
they
> may never be able to do a bird. I also have students who are pattern
makers
> because much of their work can only be done by hand carving. The
> understanding of draft angles, gating, cooling rates vs material
thickness',
> sharpness of edges vs tool life is something a stair carver or bird carver
> couldn't do. The artist chooses a path and even down that path the artist
> chooses several branches.
>
> Coming up with a definition of as artist would be almost as difficult as
> defining love. I am not prepared to say the stair rail carver is not an
> artist because I've seen some of their work as most creative and
> inspirational. I've seen some pattern carving that stirred as much
feelings
> in me as a great painting. Why does a work suddenly become art when it is
> cast in bronze but if not, the original wood pattern would be ignored my
> most? Why do two painting standing side by side, using the same basic
color
> and essential form, both exhibiting excellent technical skill and one can
> rip your heart out while the other does little to the soul. Volumes could
be
> written about the artist who ripped out your heart and still might not
> define what an artist is.
>
> Perhaps the difference between Master and Artist is that the Master is
> easier to define. And, as exhibited here, the definition of a Master is
not
> that easy either.
>
>
> Joe Dillett
> The Carving Shop
> 645 E. LaSalle St. Suite 3
> Somonauk, IL. 60552
> (815) 498-9290 phone
> (815) 498-9249 fax
> http://www.thecarvingshop.com
> jdillett at thecarvingshop.com
> http://www.carvingmagazine.com Carving Magazine web site and Readers Forum
> **************************************************
>
>
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