What Is Folk Art?

I remember when I first realized that there was a 'folky' style of quilting. I was in a quilting book club and somehow I ended up with a book by 'Country Threads' one month. It was full of applique, country charm and this folky touch that I absolutely drooled over. Not even knowing how to do the simplest applique, it was painful to look through this book and feel so extremely intimidated and inexperienced. I started searching for more of that style of quilting in books, magazines and patterns, but it was hard to come by or had a fake quality that turned me off. What exactly is folk art anyway? And then to bring that question to quilting? It's definitely not all about the weird shaped animals and crude patterns. I know it when I see it and anymore, I just try to give my quilts PERSONALITY, if you know what I mean.:) Mostly I've figured out that the 'folk' seems to be in the details and variation from the normal is good....