The Community Arts Base Show currently at the Art’s House Gallery started May 22 and will run through July 12. Our Meet the Artist Opening was held 6-8 p.m. May 31 with sweet guitar music by Jim Ehlers. This show is special because it brings together 18 artists who are part of our local Community Art’s Base. I wandered through the gallery and the Meet the Artist opening looking for an answer to the question, what inspires you?

Sometimes inspiration is as simple as the joy of painting. Rita Zwalisek-Brandt, whose brilliant colors reach out to greet you, demonstrates this joy of painting. Working in vivid pastels, Dana Hackbarth says, “Through my artistic expression I hope to inspire others, and to remind myself of the abundance of hope, beauty and love in the world.”

Raven Hoveland hosts a forest of wood sculpted trees in the middle of the gallery. She says she’s bringing the outside in, to enjoy it. When asked what inspires her, Raven answers, “I don’t really know. It just comes together. Every tree makes itself.”

Nature as an inspiration seems to dominate this art show. Sue Cranston claims, “I’m interested in growth. I am highly influenced by all things relating to the wide world of nature.” John Grancorvitz’ watercolor fits in here with its plein air quality created while out hiking. Check out Kay Fritz’s marbling. Her colors are serenely the same as her title, Spring. Charles Radar’s art may look like fireworks, but he’s photographed a Balloon Cactus from the top. Krista Spieler captures the vibrant energy of a large acorn’s cap, while Megan Riley amplifies the green fruit of a kiwi. Photographer Ken Krautbauer draws inspiration from the world around him and lets the process communicate uniquely to him.

Cathy O Connel, who works with precious stones and silver, claims her materials define the art. “Example: granite is a source of strength, endurance, grounding, stability and protection.”  Potter, Meg Herarra smiles at me and laughs, “The clay tells me what it wants to be!”

Theresa Charpentier, who fuses glass invites light to be part of her art. Carolina Downs takes the light concept one step further with her life-long question: how can the idea of illumination be rendered and communicated?

“I’m pulled toward weaving landscapes and circular forms because of the power of connection,” Petra Guenther-Johnson says of her intuitive weaving. Human connections or even lack of human connections can be strong drivers of inspiration. Leslie Batt-Lutz delivers the most sobering and profound message of this show. Leslie uses the jawbone of a shark to demonstrate “the stigma of mental illness and how it exhausts everything in its jaws.” When asked what inspired her, Leslie said that she had drawn inspiration from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read. Leslie read a book about how mental illness impacted a family and was inspired with this artistic response.

This brings us to art as therapy. River Urke uses art to “sing strength back into her bones,” to “feed her wounded spirit.” While Urke is always unique her use of art as therapy is not uncommon. Most artists get endorphins from creating.

Then, there’s the lofty challenge of attaining a painting goal. Like many, Carol Nelson-Pruchnofski demonstrates the desire to paint better and better. Diane Foster says, “I love the challenges of painting, figuring out what to paint next, and the surprises that happen through explorations. I love when I am engrossed in painting.”

Like Picard, Cheryl Maplethorpe takes her art forward. “Art,” she says, “is to be curious and to explore new things.” When asked what inspires him, Roy Annet looked at me like I was reaching. “I really don’t know,” Roy replied. “The ideas just come out of my head!” Which may bring us back to this thought that maybe sometimes art might just happen to make itself.

The Art’s House Gallery is open 2-6 p.m. Thursday and Friday 2-6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Look for some of these artists like Roy Annet, River Urke and Kay Fritz in future upcoming gallery shows.