My husband gifted me a set of six paint-by-numbers with a National Park theme. I have completed three of them and plan to finish the set sooner rather than later. I find painting relaxing and generally easy. It occurred to me they are a bit like jigsaw puzzles: someone else created the picture and my job is to recreate it.

I went to my monthly arts and crafts group today. We do a variety of projects from watercoloring to gel printing to book making, the latter being the hobby that brought us together. A new member joined today. She shared her beautiful handmade books and paper along with her drawing practice. She is, in my book, an artist just like the rest of the women in the group. We create using a variety of materials, sometimes by following a pattern or other times by following our own ideas.

I mentioned working on the paint by numbers and that, after completing three of them on my own, I went online to find out if anyone had tips for creating better paintings. And, boy, did they! Turns out this is a hobby for many people. Canadian artist Athena Cooper shared ways to make the paintings look more professional and less like that puzzle where the pieces don’t quite fit together. I picked up a couple ideas for getting better paint flow and cleaner edges that I will put into practice on my next painting.

When I commented on how seriously some people took this hobby, the newcomer piped up, “It isn’t even art!” I suggested that there was some art involved as you didn’t always have to follow the suggested colors, but we left it at that. I was not prepared to dive into a deep conversation about the definition of art. But, her comment has stuck with me, reminding me of my earlier post about the craft police.

Who gets to define what is art? A google search or ChatGPT conversation reveal there are widely divergent opinions about the status of paint by numbers being art. Feel free to explore on your own. For me, it was ChatGPT that offered the most interesting analogy: “A paint-by-number is to painting what performing a classical piano piece is to composing music. Both require skill and practice, but one follows a predetermined design while the other creates something new.” There is, however, within that predetermined design, opportunities for personal interpretation. Is that enough to rise to the level of art? I don’t have the answer. I think, to paraphrase the United State Supreme Court Justice who famously declared he couldn’t define hard-core pornography but would know it when he saw it, it is in the eye of the beholder.

Have I piqued your interest in paint by numbers? Cornell Lab of Ornithology is offering free designs of new world warblers, suitable for any sort of media from paint to crayons.