Artist or craftsman, both are relative terms. Have you seen the video of the elephant who paints a pictiure of himself holding a flower in his trunk? He is "doing art" just as the Flemish masters did art. A child with finger paints is "doing art". A machinist forming parts on a CAM system with a computer is a craftsman, just as a woodworker using ancient hand tools to make a chair is a craftsman. I think it would be a good idea to contact whoever organizes a show and ask whether a true to scale model boat entry is welcome. They may only want whimsical interpretive representations of boats made of odd materials as decorative art objects

Hi,

I Thank Each Of You For Taking The Time To Respond To My Original Enquiry............"are We Artists And/or Craftsmen"

I'm Encouraged And Gratified. I Do Believe I Can Conclude From All That Has Been Said, "yes, Indeed, We Are Both Artist And Craftsman"
And We Should Be Damn Proud Of The Pleasurable Work We Do--each One Of Us.

Thanks Again,

Azcaptain

I think a ship model is a work of art made by a craftsman. Fine Arts, to me, encompass the traditional arts - you know, the ones that exist largely due to public subsidy. I am proud to say that it is my own money that I plonk down on the counter of the local hobby shop.

The only label I aspire to is ship modeler.

Kurt

This thread has become quite interesting. I think my take on the artist vs. craftsman, is that the artist works in the realm of the senses, while the craftsman is more the utilitarian. That is not to say that a hull of a ship like say the “SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS”, while being very utilitarian did not have great artistic appeal.

OK, while on the topic of semantics and status:
Do we make model boats or model ships?????

Seems like everything in a glass case is a "model ship".
Seems like everything with a radio is a "model boat"... even if it says "Missouri" on the stern!

Just look at the magazines:
Glass case (usually): Ships in Scale; Model Ship Builder; Model Shipwright
R/C: Scale & RC Boat; RC Boat Modeler; Model Boats


Harumph.

PAT MAT- It use to be said “you can hoist a boat on to a ship, you can’t hoist a ship on a boat.”

Originally Posted by frankg

PAT MAT- It use to be said “you can hoist a boat on to a ship, you can’t hoist a ship on a boat.”

...and then there is the "submarine" which is/was referred to as a "boat".

I feel I fall into the "craftsman" category with some creativity popping out now and then, but still just a creative craftsman.

To me a sculptor is a sculptor, a musician is a musician, while an artist is someone who draws, paints, tattoos or otherwise creates an image on medium.


Capt. Crash