Last month I shared a process video showing how I created my mini ember paintings with gestural streaks of acrylic paint colors. A follower reshared the video as a story, with the caption "art or craft?" My first instinct was to be offended as they appeared to be calling into question the value of my paintings. Since craft tends to be valued lower than art in our society. But then I decided to step back and take the opportunity to better define what my paintings mean to me and what I see as the difference between art vs. craft.

I believe that creating art starts with craftwork. When I craft, it is often a recreational activity. I'm crafting for the sake of creating something. At the same time, I am learning and practicing a skill. I am reminded of the wood burning kit I purchased as a teenager. The kit came with instructions on how to use the tools and an example image that could be traced and burnt onto a piece of wood. That for me, was a craft. But I then took that newfound skill of wood burning to create this art piece as an adult:

"Hidden Love," wood burn on basswood plank, 2006.

This for me is art, since it is an image of my own creation that conveys an emotion. With my mini ember paintings, I can see how someone may be uncertain of their validity as art because they are small in size and entirely abstract. For a long time I struggled with the idea that I could create abstract works of value, since as a trained illustrator, creating representational imagery was what was ingrained in me as having value. After all, an artist clearly must possess skill to be able to render from life. But at the same time, I loved the abstract paintings I saw hanging up in museums. So I started playing with adding abstract elements to my representational paintings. Until one day I decided not to add any representational imagery at all. What I came to recognize is that the value of an image, and whether it should be viewed as craft or art, is influenced by the author's intention in having created that work in the first place. I also came to appreciate that creating an interesting and visually pleasing abstract painting can, in fact, take a lot of skill too!

My mini ember paintings serve a bigger story that I am building. Each new painting helps to further define a visual language of my own creation. And each one was made with a clear intention: to capture the energy that can exist between two people. I therefore recognize these paintings as art. But if someone mistakes them for craft, I won't be offended. They probably just need to hear this backstory to be able to appreciate them as something more.