Illustration as Fine Art; Fine Art as Illustration

I am an Illustrator. My Paintings ARE "Big Cartoons"

I figured out a concrete example of how adopting the term "illustration" for what I do as a painter, in my painting, has allowed me a greater conceptual freedom.  I've long recognized that "Purism is Our Enemy," as I titled a book of cartoons once.  And yet, I still am a purist in some areas.  In my painting, I always was reluctant to slather on the black, to rely on it, feeling that this turned my painting into a big cartoon.  But now, knowing that it's an "illustration," I don't feel that way.  I feel I can do whatever I need to do get the image the way it needs to be. (Mostly: I'm not going to stick yarn or buttons to the canvas, nor add collage.)  Also, I can blatantly use white in larger areas, which really counts as a second example because the application of white is an entirely different matter.