Craft - Art's ugly stepsister

I always feel sorry for craft. It's a bit of a dirty word - people think of craft shows as being twee. There's so much more to it than that. Craft is art. It's much more than merely making something. There's design in it and there's a huge knowledge base. I've studied jewellery and metalwork for two years in evening courses and for three years as a university degree. I think I know almost nothing. There are people who can make the most amazing things with apparently little effort - blacksmiths are a good example. One of my university tutors, Julian Coode, is incredibly talented and knowledgable about blacksmithing. He can pick up a bar of steel and turn it, very quickly, into something beautiful. He makes it look effortless. But here's the thing: it's not. Blacksmithing is difficult. People who make it look easy are extremely good at what they do and that takes years of learning and practice. Apprenticeship schemes for blacksmithing can take 5 years. Traditionally they could have lasted even longer.
Blacksmithing isn't the only craft that takes years to learn. They all do, really. Every material is different. There are always new ways to approach making - you can invent your own way of working. That's what the fun of craft is. It's so flexible! It's poorly defined - and that's part of the joy of it. You can make your own boundaries and there is always something new to learn.

You can take short courses with Julian in Farnham, Surrey. Details are here. He's an excellent tutor - very patient, understanding, good at communicating and absolutely lovely. It's partly because of him that some of my jewellery contains elements of blacksmithing!