I’ve been  asked “What is “Fine Art” anyway?”, because they had been turned away by a Gallery.
I guess the distinction between fine art and craft refers to the level of understanding of color, composition, ability and training. I judge and take part in a lot of art prizes etc. Fine Art by definition is “An activity requiring great skill or accomplishment. Creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic or intellectual content”. Rather than Applied Art which leans more towards the craft, pattern making or Naive. I can tell in an instant if the artist is trained or not. There’s a distinction. It comes through in the way a work is composed, understanding of color theory, drawing skills, use of materials and application etc. That’s not to say an untrained artist can’t produce great work and I know I’ve given prizes to people who’ve never studied a day. But there is an obvious difference and I know I’m always banging on about professional practice to my students. Its more than just lifting a paintbrush. Its understanding your given gift and the industry that represents you. Art snobbery….as has been mentioned  is someone understanding all this and then using it to belittle those who don’t, rather than educate.  There is another form of Art called High Art.  This is usually motivated by trend rather than content.  And the above mentioned Art Snob value this work so highly that the work becomes priced out of the reach of the everyday art collector.   A good example of this would be Banksy.  What some people consider High Art, others would consider vandalism.

There’s always someone out there who’s going to run you down. At the end of the day you just need to be true to your hearts calling and make the work you love to make, but please don’t close yourself off to always taking the opportunity to learn more skills, or belittle those who have.