Inspiration

I had an incredible art teacher in elementary school and junior high. He taught me how to open my eyes and take in my surroundings. He would often say, "Inspiration can be found anytime, you just have to open your eyes". Ever since then, I have been fascinated by what inspires artists to create. I decided to ask some of my favorite artists a simple question, What inspires you?

Today, the spotlight is on Chris Zielski and her Copper Leaf Studios. Chris does incredible work in copper. I love the colors she uses in her art - wonderful blues and rich reds. I am fortunate to own one of her pieces.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by colors, textures, lines and shapes, and how they all interconnect. A lot of my work is about balance and integration. Sometimes working on a design is like an engineering puzzle, when different elements must work together and integrate to become a new whole. On a concrete level, things like twists in branches and cracks in a sidewalk often inspire lines and shapes in my work. I've used photos of lightening to get just the right edge to a piece of cut copper, and my copper maps are inspired by the shape of different shorelines and rivers.

Chris' artwork can be found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CopperLeafStudios

Thanks for sharing, Chris!