June 15

It seems to me that you need to call a fish a fish. If something is or fits all of the test to be something, then that is what it should be. As an example lets explore drawing:

Drawing is a visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoals, chalk, pastels, markers, stylus, or various metals like silverpoint. An artist who practices or works in drawing may be referred to as a draftsman or draughtsman" taken from wikipedia and wikinary

A small amount of material is released onto the two dimensional medium which leaves a visible mark—the process is similar to that of painting. The most common support for drawing is paper, although other materials such as cardboard, plastic, leather, canvas and board, may be used. Temporary drawings may be made on a blackboard or whiteboard, or indeed almost anything. The medium has also become popular as a means of public expression via graffiti art, because of the easy availability of permanent markers.taken from wikipedia and wikinary

From this we can see that a simple definition is impossible. You can not say that drawing is mark making on a surface , mostly paper. It seems to me that too many critics and artists one to spin this to their own favor. Paper need not be the most expensive out on the market.

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets.

Paper is a versatile material with many uses. Whilst the most common is for writing andprinting upon, it is also widely used as a packaging material, in many cleaning products, in a number of industrial and construction processes, and occasionally as a food ingredient, particularly in Asian cultures.taken from wikipedia and wikinary

There is no simple answer to anything, any more everything can be tailored to fit anything.

Why you must/should ask am I getting so hung up on definitions. It seems that definition govern almost everything. and if it doesn't fit with in a definition then it most be something else. Ask Bill Clinton about is.

What about photography. can the result of point and shoot machinery be Art. It would seem so. "The word "photography" comes from the Greek φώς (phos) "light" + γραφίς (graphis) "stylus", "paintbrush" or γραφή (graphê) "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light." Traditionally, the products of photography have been callednegatives and photographs, commonly shortened to photos."taken from mwikipedia

A photograph (often shortened to photo) is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of what the human eye would see. The process and practice of creating photographs is called photography. The word "photograph" coined 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek φώς (phos), "light" + γραφίς (graphis), "stylus", "paintbrush" or γραφή (graphê), "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light".[1]
taken from wikipedia and wikinary

Ah it would seem that a photograph is the result of using a too. and that toll does all of the work, then how can that be art?

That moves me to my Art Mixed Media Art

"here is an important distinction between "mixed-media" artworks and "multimedia art". Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a "mixed media" work - but not a work of "multimedia art." The term multimedia art implies a broader scope than mixed media, combining visual art with non-visual elements (such as recorded sound, for example) or with elements of the other arts (such as literature, drama, dance, motion graphics, music, or interactivity)." ]taken from wikipedia and wikinary

Ihave a real problem with people who are so closed minded that they can not accept something new or different into their strict little world of Art. After all Modern Art is now in excess of 150 years old. I would then suggest that any means of expression that is not an overt copy of someone else creative work then it is acceptable. Art is in the eye of the creator, not the critic or one who stands to make a profit from it.
Enough for now.