Am I a sculptor or a wood carver? I know I seem to use both terms at random.
Is there a difference between "Wood Sculpture" and "Wood Carving"? Well, maybe, sometimes... There are two broad camps. There are those from an art background who include wood as one of their mediums, then, there are those from a woodworking background who include "Carving in the round" as one of their activities. Sculpture implies starting with a creative design, which is then turned into 3D reality by whatever means. Carving more implies an activity, the end product of which may or may not be particulary artistic.
When I'm toying with sketches or doing a quick model in clay I consider it sculpture. But, with my favourite Ashley Iles gouge in my hand, I'm carving.. What the heck, Its just semantics.
 
 

Vision vs. Technique...

For me, when I look at a painting or sculpture I want to connect with it somewhere deep down; I really dont want to be concious of the artist's technique. Its not a question of good or bad, its personal preference - I just dont like lots of fussy detail. In my view the invention of the camera made a lot of traditional painting technique redundant, and body casting did the same for sculpture. If you want a perfect likeness, take a photo.
But..., art has the potential to take a viewer far beyond a subject's actual appearance. No camera could ever quite capture a Van Gogh Starry Night or a Turner Sunset, or take you to a different place like Dali. In sculpture, look at Henry Moore for instance. His smooth, simple forms dont try to blow you away with technique or "challange" you, they just make you feel good.
Now that is something to strive for.
 
 

Art or PHArt

Most Northerners are straight talkers, and Scots pundit Fyfe Robertson earned my respect when he coined the word "PHArt" to sum up PHoney Art.
PHArt is nothing new. Long before unmade beds and butchery became trendy the taxpayer's money sponsored piles of bricks, and lines of dirty nappies etc. As a student in the 70's I was sent to an exhibition by an "artiste" called Christo who specialised in wrapping things in sellophane. I travelled 20 miles to see a toilet, wrapped. Cool huh? Nah... The emperor has no clothes.
And its not just "Installation" art, there's the mind-blowing pointlessness of "Minimalist" pieces (you cant really call them painting). I saw a piece by someone called Neuman which consisted of a dribble of orange paint down a plain blue background - four square foot of it. He called it "Orange on Blue" or somesuch. It was probably an exploration of the existential nature of... blue paint. Grief!
Is this a rant. Well yes, but there is a point. When the public art gallery supremos squander all this money and wall space on PHArt it takes away the opportunity to exhibit from the majority of artists, who actually DO give a damn.

Well, thats blown my chance of getting in the Tate.
Sod it.