John Hutson

I found the interview with Grayson Perry to be quite interesting, even though I personally had never heard of him.  He seems to be a very intelligent man who has made a choice in his life to be who he wants to be regardless of what others may think.  His work is a testament of an artist who has thrown fear out the door.  His work may be considered shocking to some and healing to others. He has used his art as a personal form of therapy, which is something I believe many artist’s do as well.  Much of his work consists of ceramic vases that he has decorated in various ways, yet he says that he is not a potter, or a ceramicist, but rather an artist. I believe that he sees the vases that he makes as just a part of his overall artistic idea. I don’t see that as any different than a sculptor, wanting to be called a sculptor rather that a stone mason.  Painters call themselves artist as well, rather than canvas stretcher/paint mixer/painter, and so forth.  They are all just labels.  They video made me think about the question, “What is art?” and “What is an artist or a craftsman”?  Grayson Perry’s work is considered by many to be a great example of modern contemporary fine art, but I know that my mother would think it was a bunch of crap.  So, people may say that my mother has not been trained or educated in how to critique fine art and therefore does not know what she is talking about.  Then is art only what scholars and historians tell you it is, or is art something that is aesthetically pleasing, or meaningful to the viewer. I guess for me it’s the later, and by understanding where I stand on that issue tells me a lot about the direction my work will follow.  So the terms artist and craftsmen are just labels, and if I were to label myself, I would say that I am both, but others may feel better by putting me in one category or the other, or neither.  After watching the video and doing some thinking I know that I have a passion for making things with my hands that are pleasing to me, and that I hope other people will like as well.