How do we define the arts?  I am a Folk Artist, Craft Painter, Tole Artist, Fine Artist, Academic Artist and Decorative Artist.  How do we decide when we are what? 

Art is constantly changing and growing.  It evolves as the market and media changes.  What type of artist are you?

Let's define some of the types using some great definitions from Art Historians and Wikipedia.  In my search for definitions, I have found that Wikipedia's best define our industry as a whole.

Folk Art

This term describes a wide range of objects that reflect the craft traditions and traditional social values of various social groups. Folk art is generally produced by people who have little or no academic artistic training, nor a desire to emulate "fine art", and use established techniques and styles of a particular region or culture. Along with painting, sculpture, and other decorative art forms, some also consider utilitarian objects such as tools and costume as folk art.

Full Definition from Wikipedia....Folk

Craft Painting

The term is often used to describe the family of artistic practices within the decorative arts that traditionally are defined by their relationship to functional or utilitarian products (such as sculptural forms in the vessel tradition) or by their use of such natural media as wood, clay, glass, textiles, and metal.

Full Definition from Wikipedia....Craft

Decorative Arts

The decorative arts are traditionally defined as ornamental and functional works in ceramic, wood, glass, metal, or textile. The field includes ceramics, furniture, furnishings, interior design, and architecture. The decorative arts are often categorized in opposition to the "fine arts", namely, painting, drawing, photography, and large-scale sculpture. Some distinguish between decorative and fine art based on functionality, intended purpose, importance, status as a unique creation, or single-artist production.

Full Definition from Wikipedia....Decorative

Fine Art

Fine art refers to arts that are concerned with a limited number of visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, dance, theatre, architecture and printmaking. Schools, institutes, and other organizations still use the term to indicate a traditional perspective on the art forms, often implying an association with classic or academic art. The word "fine" does not so much denote the quality of the artwork in question, but the purity of the discipline.  The term is still often used outside of the arts to denote when someone has perfected an activity to a very high level of skill.

Full Definition from Wikipedia....Fine

Academic Art

Academic art is a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies or universities.Specifically, academic art is the art and artists influenced by the standards of the French Académie des beaux-arts, which practiced under the movements of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, and the art that followed these two movements in the attempt to synthesize both of their styles, and which is best reflected by the paintings of William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

Full Definition from Wikipedia....Academic

Tole Art

Original French definition for the chemical make-up of metal.  Tole was a term used to describe the additions of various metals to Iron to keep it from rusting.  Later the term was used to describe the Decorative Arts painted on metal.

New Directions

The Jansen Art Studio is heading in new directions.  With the new media that is now present in our industry, artists can now apply the knowledge of the Academic Arts and the Fine Arts to the Folk, Craft and Decorative Arts.  This new direction and ability to combine these excepted styles and standards are creating a new generation of artists. 

We believe the quality and artistic nature of the the Folk, Craft and Decorative Arts are growing.  The artists of these styles are increasing their knowledge and complexity of design.  With this new growth comes a new direction in the arts.  This new direction needs a title.  For our part we are calling this direction the Formal Arts.

Formal Arts

This new style of painting combines the "artistic training" of the "fine and academic arts" with the tradition, feeling and expression of the Decorative, Craft and Folk Arts.  This new area of expression is a natural artistic growth of the "Decorative" styles into the 21st century.  The style is characterized by the use of applied artistic concepts when creating classical, historical or modern whimsical styles which normally do not express these artistic or academic concepts.

Where are you?

Hopefully most artists fall into these categories somewhere.  Many do not wish to change.  Some embrace it.  All artists are different.  I for one paint in each category above.  I also consider myself a traditionalist and an academic artist.  Enjoy your art, whether you choose to combine art forms to create new ones of continue the traditions of the old.