Amy Short
You clearly are drawn to sculpture, why not painting or drawing?
I have created with most mediums, and I always come back to sculpture. The idea of creating something from a lump of clay with its tactile nature and the challenge of creating interest from all angles are what draw me. I also love that you can create sculpture using any medium and skill. A sculpture can be painted or drawn upon or have materials added to it. The possibilities are limitless.
Material plays and important role in sculpture. Do you have a favorite?
I love terracotta, stoneware, and polymer clay. Terracotta is historically undervalued, but I aspire to transform it into something more important. To take a bit of earth and make it speak to human emotion is very exciting. The value of having something born of the earth and created by hand… that’s meaningful.
Your personal energy - if not focused on art making , what would you be doing?
If money were no object… I would travel. I enjoy exploring and learning about other societies and what connects us. I love all kinds of art, architecture, history, gardens, food and dancing, etc. I enjoy seeing what we value as humans.
What kind of response to your work are you hoping for?
I would like to evoke emotion, empathy, and understanding. I want to create a narrative about the human experience and our desire to understand our own existence and space in the world.
I have created with most mediums, and I always come back to sculpture. The idea of creating something from a lump of clay with its tactile nature and the challenge of creating interest from all angles are what draw me. I also love that you can create sculpture using any medium and skill. A sculpture can be painted or drawn upon or have materials added to it. The possibilities are limitless.
Material plays and important role in sculpture. Do you have a favorite?
I love terracotta, stoneware, and polymer clay. Terracotta is historically undervalued, but I aspire to transform it into something more important. To take a bit of earth and make it speak to human emotion is very exciting. The value of having something born of the earth and created by hand… that’s meaningful.
Your personal energy - if not focused on art making , what would you be doing?
If money were no object… I would travel. I enjoy exploring and learning about other societies and what connects us. I love all kinds of art, architecture, history, gardens, food and dancing, etc. I enjoy seeing what we value as humans.
What kind of response to your work are you hoping for?
I would like to evoke emotion, empathy, and understanding. I want to create a narrative about the human experience and our desire to understand our own existence and space in the world.
Biography
Amy Short is a ceramic sculptor living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She works primarily in terracotta and polymer clay. She holds two bachelor’s degrees from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, one in French, the other in Fine Art with a concentration in Sculpture. In addition she studied painting in Paris, France and French in Neuchatel, Switzerland. She is an active member of Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors, the International Polymer Clay Association and the National Association of Women Artists. She has exhibited regionally at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and many galleries throughout the region. Her art can also be found in various collections around the US. She currently lives with her husband, 3 teenage boys and spoiled doggo, Fozzy.
Statement
My sculptures share a personal narrative about human existence and our desire to understand our place in the world. Through the figure, I look to identify emotion and empathy with subtle glances, gestures, gender, texture and color, most frequently through the archetype of the feminine or child. I incorporate animals into my work to speak to their importance or lack thereof in the eyes of humans. The animals are often enlarged or reduced, creating physical and psychological contrast. In my art, I consistently pose questions, sometimes answering them, as I strive for a better understanding of humanity’s place and purpose in the world.
Statement
My sculptures share a personal narrative about human existence and our desire to understand our place in the world. Through the figure, I look to identify emotion and empathy with subtle glances, gestures, gender, texture and color, most frequently through the archetype of the feminine or child. I incorporate animals into my work to speak to their importance or lack thereof in the eyes of humans. The animals are often enlarged or reduced, creating physical and psychological contrast. In my art, I consistently pose questions, sometimes answering them, as I strive for a better understanding of humanity’s place and purpose in the world.