I do consider myself an artist as well as a quilter. I'm an artist who's end product is a quilt. I pick the fabrics and put them together in a way that pleases me. My quilts follow the principles of design in a way that is unique to me, and satisfies my creativity.
A painter friend and I had a similar discussion and she told me how much more challenging she finds it to work with pre-printed cloth and making all the patterns work together than just using a solid color that you dream up and use as you wish. A painter is always considered an artist, and a quilter should be too.
If you made it and its quilted you're a quilter no matter how good you are at the process. Of course I do try to do my best work and I also try to challenge myself from time to time, but I always quilt to be creative and have fun. So I don't consider myself an expert, but I love to create with fabric and enjoy the process. So I will use Bubbie's term and put myself in the category of "quilting artist." Thanks for the creative license!