There are painters out there who reproduce works of the masters, they are capable of capturing the most minute nuance of the original painting. Would you call them Artists? I would'nt. I don't think most people would either.
I agree with Michael - as much as I would like to think
everything I do is original, it is still a combination of things
I like, have learned, have seen, and all my experiances in life.
I do a lot of crocheting with wire and when I first started I had
not seen any other jewelry made with this technique, until I
started flipping through a book printed when I was about 5 years
old. But I don’t see why anyone would want to precisely copy
someone elses work. I think the way one applies techniques and
uses ideas is what makes him/her an artist.