Thoughts of TIF 5

The topic of this month’s take it further challenge is “What do you call yourself? (related to what we do). Artist or Craftsperson?

Basically, that’s the old art versus craft debate taken to a personal level. My first thought was “Why, I’m just a dabbler anyway”. But I guess that answer would be the easy way out.

I dabble in acrylic paint and watercolour, so I can well call myself an artist. But on the other hand, where is the line between art and craft in paintings? Are paintings in the style of the home decor TV shows art? In fiber, I do a few original things. But I also love doing crafty things like knitting, crochet and mindless embroidery. I think I never really defined myself beyond “dabbler in xyz”, replace xyz with my current subject of study. Maybe it’s high time I think about such things a bit.

I don’t really know yet what I’m going to do about that topic, but I think it screams for another sampler, showing the artsy and the crafty sides of me.

The colour scheme is another interesting case. The official me hates it but I think my inner child loves it.

To add a bit of eye candy, here is another progress shot of the pulled thread tulip. If I really do a sampler this will be part of it. Sometimes things just fall into place like this. This ttime, the picture is not clickable, I’ll upload a really big one when it’s finished.

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frustration shopping – and a stitched wild tulip

Working is bad. It eats time you should spend drinking beer and watching trash TV, or even do the really important things in life, such as blogging.

I worked on the hemstitched background but I’m not yet done. I went shopping when work got at me and saw this beautiful fine linen cheescloth. Again for only one quarter of what similar fabric would cost in the needlework corner of the same shop, so I got 3 meters. Then of course I had to try what I can do with it. I did a little tryout piece. I know it’s nothing special, but I did all of it on the commute so I had to do with a little impromptu scetch of a wild tulip and such stitches as I know by heart.

Edit:
I bought two paintbrushes and a black copic marker on the same occasion either, as if I haven’t too much art supplies already. And now I stumbled about a post by Paula Hewitt about affluenza, the lifestyle of having too much. I find good reasons for buying more and more fabric whenever the fabric shop has cheap stuff. I guess I must be more careful, or I’ll end up with one of these huge mountains of stash so many people lament about.