QotW: What's your genre, Fine Art, decorative, sculptural, or Functional?

[Pres]

Hi folks, sorry I' a day late here. I had to mull over options for the QotW, and didn't know which way to go. However, all is good as I have a question that I don't think has been asked in a while.

QotW: What's your genre, Fine Art, decorative, sculptural, or Functional?

I have played around with all of the above over the years, yearning to express different facets of myself and the clay. There have been early school assignments that would be simple, but could run to the extreme like: Create a closed 6" cube. I have also done other things that started with no reason other than to just build following one small slab on a large slab for a base, no idea where it would go until done and then cutting the base to fit the slab construction. These usually took days while the kids would be doing slab projects. Other times I would have a sketch showing proportions of a slab or slab/thrown project, only to know if it worked when done. However, when it comes to clay I always return to what I love the most, throwing beautiful functional wheel thrown pottery. At the same time though when I go to shows, or look through trade magazines and others I am drawn to the Fine Art, and the sculptural forms often Photographing those that inspire me.

So What's your genre and what do you enjoy looking at?

 

best,

Pres

[LeeU]

Next time I order biz cards, the text on the reverse shall be larger!

[shawnhar]

I'm not an artist so functional for me. I do enjoy really pushing  a mug into art"ish" territory though, I make one or two whacky ones every time I make a batch of 30 or so.

I dabble a bit in art, but it's certainly not "fine", lol.

 

[Kelly in AK]

I make functional pots, but very much consider them pieces of art. Using a handmade pot can be an aesthetic experience. Interactive, immersive art, if you will. I appreciate sculptural ceramic art as well as decorative pottery, or "pots about pots." Part of that comes from knowing the process and seeing people create marvelous work within the technical limits of what clay can do. I consider function an additional set of limits I choose to work within. I believe the objects I make are more than beautiful things, they help people lead a more beautiful life.

[Min]

@Kelly in AK, distinction between what is craft versus art wouldn't be a contentious subject at all would it?  It seems the word "craft" is used very commonly and freely whereas "craftmanship" has a higher level of skill implied in the learning of the particular craft it is used in conjunction with. I've noticed in the last 10 years or so an increase in the number of people who work with clay are calling themselves ceramic artists vs potters or ceramicists. Who determines if the work is art or fine art or a craft?

[kswan]

Can I be a functional fine artist? Actually, isn't that what the decorative arts are? I think that's me, as I like to make functional work but with a hand painted surface. When people ask me, I've been saying "ceramic artist" too, because I handbuild many pieces. I associate a potter with a wheel even though I know that's not strictly the case.