Art Knives? Or Not?

Kohai999 said:
Stay with me, Kevin......

Ken Onion coined the term "mid tech" to mean a knife that had parts manufactured by outside businesses, but assembled by him, ground, and finished by him.....the term got misused by others to the point that Ken had to re-state what he meant multiple times in multiple forums.

Phil Lobred created the AKI to have an association formed for the purpose of creating a one-day show and sale for an invited group of discriminating collectors. The emphasis is on more innovative work. Past AKI shows have been the showplace for these makers to unveil new models, new locking mechanisms, new trademarks, one of a kind creations and overall a lot of really creative work.

The following is a direct quote from his website:

"Throughout history the world’s greatest bladesmiths have designed and built art knives and certainly knifemaking in America has seen many changes in the past 200 years, but never in history has there been a greater renaissance in knifemaking than in the last decade.

With advanced steels and an emphasis on workmanship, a handful of contemporary knifemakers create fascinating examples of this art form today. With the emphasis taken off the utility aspect of this most useful of all hand tools and placed on creativity and execution, “Art Knives” by important makers are rapidly gaining popularity as unique collectibles.

The 1983 Art Knife Invitational is an effort to place 16 such makers before a select group of collectors for the purpose of viewing and purchasing some of the most spectacular art knives being made in the world today."

-Phil Lobred
May 1983

It is obvious when you read that old introduction that the American art knife scene, even the term itself, was in its infancy. The term “Art Knife” was discussed and selected as the most descriptive. That is why it was put in quotation marks. There was really nothing else to call these fabulous new knife creations at that time. The term fit and it stuck. Two shows were produced, one in 1983 and one in 1984. Both were held at the MGM Grand Hotel, Reno.

So...all of you that don't like the term "art knife"...don't use it. The term has use and merit, and value....It is my feeling that it will outlive us all, even though it is frequently misused.

I personally don't see art in a Ford Taurus, or an American Standard urinal, or in a yellow plastic bowl from China, but it does not mean that someone else does. I can call crappy art, crappy art, but someone else might say the same of my stuff. I am not going to fight about it.

A little historical perspective is good for the discussion, no?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Phil's quote (bolded) is one of the most powerful statements I have read since developing interest in custom knives.

GREAT post STeven. Bravo :thumbup:
 
ryan9977 said:
don...your "art knife" in question....for the handle....is that the natural state of the end of the ivory.....or did you create that.....i like the contrast of the sort of antique feel to the handle with the blade.....i do consider it art but i feel like a term like "art knife" is pretty broad and hard to narrow down.....one man's junk is another man's art......ryan
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Ryan, like Roger said, it is an artifact, made from walrus ivory, was an ice ax with a fire starter hole. I left the end natural and shaped the front end to flow with the blade.
 
canineforge said:
Just to add another twist to the 'art' knife. The Blade Show West 2006 'Best Art Knife' award went to a great looking carbon steel/sheep horn bowie by Bruce Bump. Looks like an engraved guard (from Blade magazine picture). Plus, it is a reproduction of an R. Bunting & Sons antique bowie.
I guess my question would be, did it fall into the 'art knife' category due to the engraved guard, the bowie being a reproduction, or just the judges decision to place it there?
Most knife shows seem to have the award, I'm just curious if it is always a wide-open category?
Maybe Bruce can post a picture or comment? The reproduction of an antique bowie probably qualified his award winner. Our opinions will always differ on this, but maybe some past judges that frequent the forums would comment?
And Tai, Wikipedia does not list art knife in its definition of 'Knife'. :D

- Joe
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Joe, most of the shows do have categories and the makers place their knife/knives in the categories they feel, best fits their knife. I didn't place my knife in the 'Art Knife' category, just left it with them and the judges chose. I was surprised, to say the least but very pleased to receive this award.
 
Don Hanson III said:
Joe, most of the shows do have categories and the makers place their knife/knives in the categories they feel, best fits their knife. I didn't place my knife in the 'Art Knife' category, just left it with them and the judges chose. I was surprised, to say the least but very pleased to receive this award.
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Don Hanson........baseball cap wearin', grouper fishin' artiste......who's a thunk it:D
 
IMO :D , This handle exemplifies the "art" in the craft. Don is consistently able to integrate the natural qualities of the material in the final design without compromising the flow of the knife. It's taken natural processes tens of thousands of years, or sometimes generations of use, to impart the texures and colors into fossils and artifacts that a maker cannot duplicate. Congrats, Don, the honor is well deserved.

I think that when the design strays too far away from function that's when you start to enter the realm of the fantasy knife. I don't feel that a knife is necessarily art because it isn't functional though. It all depends on what the maker created. Some makers are artists, including Fogg and Goo, while others are maybe not so but they still make beautiful functional knives. Superfluous embellishments or fancy materials won't make a beautiful knife art either in my book.
 
canineforge said:
Just to add another twist to the 'art' knife. The Blade Show West 2006 'Best Art Knife' award went to a great looking carbon steel/sheep horn bowie by Bruce Bump. Looks like an engraved guard (from Blade magazine picture). Plus, it is a reproduction of an R. Bunting & Sons antique bowie.
I guess my question would be, did it fall into the 'art knife' category due to the engraved guard, the bowie being a reproduction, or just the judges decision to place it there?
Most knife shows seem to have the award, I'm just curious if it is always a wide-open category?
Maybe Bruce can post a picture or comment? The reproduction of an antique bowie probably qualified his award winner. Our opinions will always differ on this, but maybe some past judges that frequent the forums would comment?
And Tai, Wikipedia does not list art knife in its definition of 'Knife'. :D

- Joe
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Joe the bowie that was pictured in Blade mag was not the knife that won the Best Art Knife. I did win the award but the photographer got the wrong knife. Its was just a mix up that is still haunting me. Heck I just read the latest issue of Blade and I see they have it listed again. The real winning knife is a dagger.
Here it is;
Quillion_8x10.jpg
 
Blade, a mistake!?! :eek: :D

Well, that makes more sense. Not that I didn't like the bowie, just trying to figure this 'art' category of knives out. It may be beyond our doing?

Thanks for posting the dagger. This will staighten out the blunder with those on this forum.

Thanks for the clarification, Bruce!

- Joe
 
Bruce Bump said:
Joe the bowie that was pictured in Blade mag was not the knife that won the Best Art Knife. I did win the award but the photographer got the wrong knife. Its was just a mix up that is still haunting me. Heck I just read the latest issue of Blade and I see they have it listed again. The real winning knife is a dagger.
Here it is;
Quillion_8x10.jpg
Click to expand...

Very nice, Bruce. I have seen a pic of your Master Smith dagger on the Knives annual. You should post a pic of that one and hear all of the jaws hit the floor in here:D:thumbup:
 
Bruce,

That (along with your MS dagger) is stunning. Beautiful job!
 
Do you have a favorite "Art Knife"?

This one has always been one of my favorites.

"King Tut Dagger"; From Phil Lobred's San Francisco Knives Website
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I think art is what the viewer says it is..............

the modern knife has come up to the place where it is art, especially when it is made as nicely as the first knife pictured!!!:thumbup:



The classic Japanese sword was made to be a weapon, but the Japanese made every aspect of life art........and the result is one of the most beautiful swords ever made.
 
These are knives. They are also works of art. Each one posesses powerful symbolism, some of which is obvious to the viewer and some of which may only be understood by the artist bladesmith who created them. Concepts of 'totem' and 'fetish' are evoked by these knives. Some might claim they posess actual power. There is much more going on with these creations than the phrase 'art knife' could ever begin to explain.

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I think we can be guilty of over analysing the custom knife world. Art, functional art, hand tool, handmade, custom ...... I am not really bothered about the name we choose to assign - I buy it because I connect with it on some level, I don't need it. By some definitions then all my knives could be art.

Every month or so I look over my collection, those pieces I still connect will get pride of place, the others will be assigned to rotation. The longer a knife stays in my collection without the thought of sale entering my mind the closer and deeper the connection ...... I appreciate these as I would any other art object - they please me when I look at them, they make me feel good about the world, they distract me, they make me think :D !

Stephen
 
Not task that to insert a blade in... di a statuetta is Art Knife. It will be Art but for being Art Knife it wants a connection to us between blade and the rest.
Flavio
 
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