In my humble opinion, quilting is an emotionally fueled art hobby. I have been quilting since I was a child. I started when my feet could work the treadle on my grandma's Singer. We made doll quilts out of old clothes, fabric scraps and feed sacks or anything else we could find. It was joyful for me at 5 or 6 yrs old to be able to do what my mother and grandmother did. The results were functional and even beautiful to me and to her. Quilts generally have a story that goes with them. I have never felt like cuddling up to an oil painting when I need comfort from life's happenings. Quilts have bound my family together for generations and I get great personal satisfaction from creating new ones. I like the challenge of new designs. I love the requests from my grandsons for new ones. I do believe that quilting is an art. I also believe that painting is an art. Every art has its tools, history and motivation. Sometimes it is good to compare apples and oranges. This has been a good discussion topic. Thanks for posting.