Naming Copper Lizard Studio
Copper Lizard Studio – it has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Choosing the right name for your business can mean the difference between success and failure. There are dozens of paid and free sites that will give you tons of suggestions and ideas on how to come up with a strong business name for your company. They suggest everything from using Latin to making acronyms. Other advice includes making it descriptive, leveraging a nickname or telling your story.
The array of artwork I do, while it is all metalwork and primarily riveted metal art, ranges from jewelry, collage, wearable metal art – I call them Luckys – to shadow boxes and free-standing sculptures. I needed a name that could encompass all of my art and still leave room for future creations.
I wish I could say that I used one of these paid or free sites to come up with my company name. I didn’t. Instead, I chose the name Copper Lizard Studio because it felt like a good art studio name and it said what I wanted it to say. In hindsight, I realize that I probably did end up using some of the same ideas suggested online for finding the perfect company name.
Make It Descriptive
Metal Renewal Workspace – this accurately describes what my company is all about. But what a bland and boring name! Copper Lizard Studio gives you pretty much the same information, but it also hints at creativity and a possible story behind the name. I always want to give people a reason to want to know more.
Let’s break it down.
Copper. It is a type of metal and I use primarily metal – especially recycled metal and metal that transforms – in my art practice. With it, I create recycled metal art, wearable art and jewelry.
Lizard. In some cultures, lizards symbolize regeneration and renewal. Lizards are also a symbol of the desert – and I do love the desert. Lizards represent change – and change and transformation are fundamental aspects of the metal I use and the kind of artwork I create.
Studio. This word immediately conveys art, a workspace and creation – all important aspects of my business. My artwork pieces are all unique and one-of-a-kind.They are not machine-made. Each piece is hand-crafted.
Copper. Lizard. Studio. It’s starting to come together, but there’s more.
Leverage Your Nickname
My interest in metal began when I was just a child. It all started with a Penny and that Penny was me. Most people know me as Susanah, but that is my second name. My full name is Penelope Susanah. When I was younger, I was called Penny or Penny Sue.
Pennies are made of what material? Copper, of course. As a child I was always looking for pennies -the bright shiny new ones, old dark brown ones or the rare green ones. I’ve always loved the patina of copper and I was a Penny when I was younger.
Copper is probably my favourite metal! It shows you its past, shows its age and lets you imagine what has happened before you found it. Every bit of metal suggests a different story. That is why even though I use many kinds of recycled and repurposed metal in my art, copper had to be the first part of my company name.
Tell Your Story
I love metal that changes – from the surprise of cleaning a piece of blackened silver and revealing its hidden potential to finding that perfect pattern in the rust that suggests an image. Metal that changes tells its history visually.
When I was studying jewelry making – working with copper and silver to learn techniques to use with gold – my instructors continually tried to reinforce the importance of keeping your new metal clean and free of blemishes and marks. But to my eye, this pristine metal was lifeless. It had no soul. There was no history. I’ve always been more attracted to objects with stories that tell of a life well-lived. Because of this, I choose to make art with metal that has a history.
Alchemy
In medieval times, alchemy was an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold. In modern times, this is what I do. I change scrap metal into art.
Copper Lizard Studio is all about metamorphosis and metals, especially metals that transform. Copper, brass, bronze, silver, steel and iron all change over time and transform into something more beautiful. The seven main metals of alchemy are silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, mercury and gold. I use four of these metals – copper, silver, steel and tin – on a regular basis in my art.
Copper is the bright shiny colour of a brand-new penny. It turns to a deep brown with age. It turns green if it comes into contact with salt in the air. These are the natural colours that copper transforms into, but there are also endless colour possibilities by using different patinas.
Shiny new silver is beautiful, but a piece of silver jewelry that has been worn and loved becomes subtly more beautiful. A unique patina is added by a person’s touch. The oils from their skin causes the colour to become richer. It’s a process of oxidation. Silver that has aged is permeated with history. It tells a tale, a story, a journey, a chronology of past events.
Steel can be any colour from shiny blue grey to rusty red. The high iron oxide content of steel causes it to become rusty when it comes into contact with oxygen. This oxidation imbues the metal with texture, intrigue and mystery. Another appeal of steel is that it is magnetic. I use this magnetic characteristic in much of my metalwork.
Tin is the final metal I use regularly. Cookie tins, tea tins or any tins that have images or appealing colours are part of the recycled and post-consumer materials I like to use. When you create metal art with recycled and post consumer metals, they come to you with their own story. They have a hidden value of once being used or loved or needed.
Calgary Art Studio and the Desert Connection
I love the rusty reds of the sculpted sandstone, the quick moving little jewels of the reptile world – lizards, of course – and the big, wide skies. What’s not to love about southwest desert? The red rock reminds me of all the rusty metals I find so intriguing, the flash of colour as a lizard zooms by is often copper and patina green. The oxidation that so inspires me with the metal I use is constantly happening in the desert across the entire landscape.
Before I became a metal artist, I mainly worked with mixed media collage. Layering paper, feathers and other objects to create the patterns and pictures allowed the imagination to fill in the blanks. It’s kind of like seeing images in clouds. The carved landscape of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico allow my eyes to create a thousand creatures.
On one of our trips to Monument Valley, I found a flattened, rusted ancient spray can that had been run over for years. This rusted metal can was exactly the same colour as all the towering rock and billowing sand surrounding it. I took it home with me to my Calgary art studio. It became my first free-standing metal sculpture – the Monk with the Yellow Shoes.
Copper Lizard Studio – it has a nice story behind it, don’t you think?
Do you have an art studio or related business? How did you come up with the name? I’d love to know. Leave a note in the comments below!
