Adam Cherubini
>Artisan or artisanal are good words.

In my defense, I think here on the East coast of US, "boutique" doesn't have the ladies' handbag connotation it may have elsewhere. You could have a "boutique" wine or liquor store, indicating that the shop specializes in particularly high quality wines or provides specialized services. A boutique car dealership may specialize in italian or german automobiles.

Artisan is good. We have "artisanal" or "craft" beers, or "artisanal" cheese. I think "artisanal" only means made with craftsmanship. I think artisan is synonomous with "craftsman".

Peronsally, I think the term connotes an artistic crafts person, which fits Mike Wenzloff. I think there's a difference between being an furniture artisan, a person who might design furniture or who can express artistic sensibilities, and a person who is an excellent builder. Furniture maker George Nakashima was an artisan. Norm Abrams is not. He's a fine craftsman to be sure (and in my opinion, doesn't deserve the ribbing he gets from folks like us).

So I'm saying this is how I feel about the word artisan, and how I think others I know feel. But this isn't the definition of the word. We are all artisans. Maybe that is what has prevented me from applying this non-descriptive word to Mike Wenzloff. He much better fits my version of the word than the actual dictionary definition.

Adam