I typically dislike February in Michigan. It's very cold, snowy, and colorless. It always feels to me like the longest month of the year instead of the shortest. But this year has been quite different. It's unseasonably warm and we've had many sunny days. So much so that many spring time flowers are coming up about six weeks ahead of schedule.
This has caused me to remember past flower gardens that I've performed in. I'm not a gardener, but I have a deep appreciation for flower gardens and respect for those who create and maintain them. Like all things of beauty, there's a lot of effort involved. Although I get to take advantage of them, I never take them for granted.
When we talk of art we usually are talking about fine art. Many fine artists like to distinguish between fine art, crafts, and design. I tend to see these as siblings. Done properly they all require an artists eye. A certain sensibility that transcends function and elicits an emotional response. Born from a need to decorate our lives.
Yes it takes talent and a vision to put paint on a canvas. But it also takes a vision to see the painting and know the exact place you would display it. Many of us have seen a well designed and decorated room and wished we could pull off something like that in our homes.
Many home crafts can be art too. If you've never been to a quilt show I urge you to attend one sometime. My experience with quilts was limited to using a "crazy" quilt as a bed cover in a guest bedroom. But my wife educated me over time and when I went to a quilt show I was stunned at the skill and beauty on display. If these had been paint on canvas they would be hanging in a gallery, but instead they were cloth and thread and so were called "craft" (as if that were a lesser discipline).
I like to look at custom cars. I enjoy the shows on TV that feature people building them. I have no idea how they do what they do but it takes an artistic vision and a lot of skill to create these beautiful machines. I watch them the same way people watch me play guitar. I like to pretend that I could learn how to do it, but I know that it's a special talent and there's no way.
Frank Lloyd Wright didn't just build houses. He created sculptures that people live in. And he also created the furniture that is used. He showed us that great architecture doesn't just feature art.....it is art.
I'm not smart enough to define art. But I really don't want to limit it either. I try to see art wherever it exists without worrying about its pedigree. And I want to take a moment to thank the artists, craftsmen, and designers for creating the beauty that we all get to enjoy. I'd like to believe that I could do what you do, but I know I don't have a snowball's chance in February.