Artwork by Amy Short

Christmas with Creative and Curious Kids

2011-12-03T12:30:00.001-05:00

I have had my friend Jennifer, writer of the blog Creative and Curious Kids, on my blog roll for years now. She's on my blog roll under "Jen who raises creative kids".

Jennifer just did a lovely post of my art in her blog and I would like you to know about her also. Aside from being a wonderful and talented person she also home schools her children (which automatically makes her my hero) and is extremely creative. Check out her blog for some great crafty ideas and activities that you can do with your children.

Here are a couple of my favorite ideas:

Thanks again Jennifer.

The Last of the Snowmen

2011-12-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who support artists. I, for one, am especially grateful.

I didn't make a lot of ornaments but I have two snowmen left.

This one:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86325574/ooak-snowman-ornament

and this one:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86325188/ooak-snowman-ornament

PS. If you are a local I can bring it to you. :o) Just let me know before you buy and I will reserve it under your name minus shipping costs.

New WIPs aka My Minions

2011-11-16T17:38:00.002-05:00

Here are some new works in progress (WIP). I had to change the blog title because according to my good friend Carla, I have created an army of minions. Too funny!

A bunch of busts because I felt like sculpting a lot of faces.

Have no fear they will not be bald and bland when finished.

More photos coming soon. Back to work now. :o)

And the winner is...

2011-10-17T16:41:00.000-04:00

Lisa Dempski!!

Thanks to all who participated and shared my blog! It is very much appreciated!

A Halloween Giveaway!

2011-10-12T15:20:00.001-04:00

I have been bugging my kids for weeks to tell me what they want to be for Halloween. You'd think that I am jumping the gun but actually I am trying not to wait until the last minute to make their costumes. Nightmare!

Thinking back to Halloween when I was a kid, I am reminded of my favorite costume. I was a gypsy, a ghost (tripped a LOT), Raggedy Ann, skeleton, etc. but by far my favorite costume was when my mother made me into a tea bag.

Me as a gypsy circa 1970s

It was the night of Halloween and I didn't have a costume or have any idea what I wanted to be. My clever mother told me to run upstairs and put my black leotard on and to get a white pillowcase from the closet. She proceeded to cut out two holes for my legs to fit through. I put the pillowcase on and we went outside and she stuffed me full of leaves. Then she stapled across the top of the pillowcase across my shoulders. Then she cut out a hexagon from a cardboard box, drew a red rose on it (Red Rose Tea), she was an artist too, and cleverly placed it on my head. The final touch was a string from the Red Rose Tea tag to my shoulder and voila...I was a tea bag. I won 3rd place in the Halloween parade that year.

That last minute costume worked out.

So this brings me to my giveaway. I am giving away one of my latest Halloween creations from my etsy shop.

All you have to do is comment on this blog below, Artwork by Amy Short on Facebook, or @amyshortart on Twitter and tell me what your all time favorite costume was when you were a kid. Then on October 17th I will draw a name from all of the names and send you this decoration just in time for Halloween.

Tell your friends too because I need some good ideas for my kids costumes! Good Luck! :o)

Skulls and Pumpkins and Crows...Oh My!

2011-09-26T15:06:00.001-04:00

I have been busy working on some fun sculpts for Halloween. As usual I am experimenting. I wanted something lightweight and creepy fun and it seems to have worked out. Here's a peek at what I came up with:

You can find more in my etsy shop. They are in limited supply and I won't be making anymore this season. I have to start working on some other things.

Oh, and as usual, my favorite part is a funky angle. Here is my favorite view:

I know, but I'm diggin' the crinkle. :o) Hope you like them too.

Doesn't it feel great to be appreciated?

2011-08-22T21:01:00.000-04:00

Been a crazy crazy busy busy summer but I wanted to share this post with you. I was interviewed by Karla from Dreamaginarius. I am very flattered! Thank you Karla! People, keep an eye on her because I believe that she has some amazing figures coming out of her dreamagination.

http://dreamaginarius.blogspot.com/2011/08/tea-for-three-guest-amy-from-etsy-shop.html

More soon. :o)

Fancy chairs and blisters

2011-04-13T09:36:00.000-04:00

For years...I've had an old chair in our garage that I have been meaning to refinish. It was given to me by a neighbor when she moved. I liked the look of it because it reminded me of Jane Austen. So I took it...and there it sat in our garage. It was always in the back of my mind that I would take the time and redo it.

Every once in a while my husband would say something like..."When are we getting rid of that chair?" To which I would reply, "We aren't, I'm going to redo it." This was usually followed by the roll of his eyes and a heavy sigh.

Well, I have finally fixed it up. I stripped it, repaired it, sanded it, painted it and reupholstered it. Oh and I have gave myself a painful blister with my glue gun. OUCH! It was more difficult than I thought but, like my husband says, 'it's done now'. ;o)

Here are the before photos:

Here are the during:

Here are the after photos:

Just one more Before/After shot:

So now the question is where am I going to put it since it doesn't match our decor. lol Oh and fyi I won't be reupholstering anything again. ;o)

New Sculpture

2011-04-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

In a continuing effort to finish all of the work on my bench I just finished this guy. He stands 16" tall and I'm digging his expression from different angles. Hope you like him too.

spiritual swirl

angel wings

serious side

happy side

wassup?

Dancing Girl

2011-03-30T10:49:00.001-04:00

I'm finishing some sculpts that I have had on my work table. They have been looking at me for a while begging for some attention. So here is a new little doll that I just finished. She doesn't sit well on her own but there are clever ways to have her sit. There is something rag doll-ish about her that I like. Hope you like her too. :o)

Laying down

Leaning against the speaker

Sitting on a plant bowl

I like how she dances.

Me? A Visiting Artist?

2011-03-29T13:03:00.003-04:00

I was so very fortunate today to be a visiting artist in my cousin Phyllis's art class at Pawling Central School in New York State. She provided coffee and doughnuts for her students and I provided the witty conversation...lol NOT! We connected via Skype since I am in Pittsburgh. (It would have been nice if I actually cleaned my monitor before taking any pictures!)

Phyllis :o)

I have been using Skype for years since we live so far from our families but this is the first time I visited a classroom. Phyllis and I get our artistic skills from our grandparents. Our grandfather John was a painter and also did a lot of needlework and our grandmother Betty was also known for her needlework and crafting skills.

John and Betty Corrao

More photos of the kids in class...

The time flew by, the bell rang and our time was done. I am hoping that we can do a project together in the future. That was fun! Thanks Phyllis and everyone! :o)

Oh and my friends have been bugging me to post a photo of my two page spread in the New Art Review publication from my previous post. Only my photos were published. So here you go my friends.

Remember me?

2011-02-21T11:48:00.002-05:00

It has been waaaaay too long since I have tended to my blog and for those few who still choose to read/follow my shtuff, I thank you! No excuses, just life...including but not limited to husband, children and home, etc.

What do you think of the new look? Or has it been so long that you don't even remember? he he

I was published recently in New Art Review and am pretty pleased with it since I got a two page spread! Yay! I'm humbled at the thought of being a part of a publication that "highlights the hottest new talent in visual art, poetry, mixed media, and literature." Phew! I actually have nothing more to say.

Patience My Friends

2010-09-20T12:24:00.002-04:00

I'm cleaning house....setting up my studio and creating new stuff. Time for a new look. I will be back soon... Stay tuned. :o) Sorry for the ugly blog at the moment too.

My blog is 2 years old!

2010-02-04T16:08:00.014-05:00

What?!?! My blog is two years old?!?! I can't believe that it has been that long already. Loads happens in two years doesn't it? I have found great followers, gotten tons of feedback on things (mostly kind...phew) and met some really awesome people. So thanks for following me. I hope to keep you with me for a long while. I swore I wouldn't say "blogiversary" but I just said it...ooops! ;o)

A lot happens in two years. Like my boys went from this:

to this:

So Happy Blogiversary to my blog! LOL

Moving on...

Recently I had a really fun commission of an old high school friend's son. We reconnected on facebook after 20 years...love it! This is her son, his favorite stuffed animal, his room with his bookcase and glow in the dark stars. My personal favorite, their dog who is nothing less than a princess. Here it is:

And she just sent me photos of it framed with her adorable son.

and one with the princess:

I have some interesting projects coming up that I will share with you soon. Until then thanks for reading and ta ta for now! :o)

I can finally break the silence

2009-12-30T15:43:00.007-05:00

I had this very cool commission that I have been working on for the past couple months and I couldn't breath a word of it due to the fact that the person it was for reads my facebook page...whether she reads my blog, tweets or fan page I cannot say. ;o)

Anyway, Christmas is over, the sculpture was given and now I can show it to you. It still feels funny because it was a big secret but I am pleased to say that we got away with it. She was completely surprised!

This is a 'personalized sculpture'. By 'personalized' I mean that it has characteristics of the person: hair style, eye color, kayak, etc but not a replica of the person herself. This is how her kayak is (color and all) and color of her life jacket, etc.

Is there someone in your life that you would like forever in a sculpture? Send me an e-mail and we can talk about it. :o)

Blythburgh Church and the Devil Dog

2009-12-09T08:57:00.028-05:00

As promised here is the story about Black Shuck...the Devil Dog of Suffolk. I was intrigued by this story as soon as my brother-in-law told me about it. It wasn't the idea that the story was scary but it was funny to me because it scared him - big time!

In Suffolk, England there is a beautiful medieval church called Blythburgh (pronounced blythburra). It is interestingly breathtaking with wonderful carved wood and amazing stonework and an incredible wooden painted ceiling full of angels. I just fell in love with the church and spent so much time walking around and soaking in the whole atmosphere.

This is a sculpture above the entrance to the church.

The ceilings are breathtaking with wooden carved angels. Here is one of my photos that you can find here in my etsy shop. The entire ceiling in the church is like this.

Rather than try to explain about the demon dog called "Black Shuck" pronounced 'shook' I am leaving it to the following quote..."One of the most notable reports of Black Shuck is of his appearance at the churches of Bungay and Blythburgh in Suffolk. On 4 August 1577, at Blythburgh, Black Shuck is said to have burst in through the church doors. He ran up the nave, past a large congregation, killing a man and boy and causing the church tower to collapse through the roof. As the dog left, he left scorch marks on the north door which can be seen at the church to this day."

Here is my photo of the scorch marks. They are said that they still smell. I didn't take a wiff... You can click on my photo to enlarge it and see the marks. They are the vertical ones above and below the top right hinge.

This is of a stained glass window located in the church. The inscription reads, "I trust in God".
You can also find this here in my etsy shop.

So I wonder...where is the grave of the man and son killed by Black Shuck?
I don't know but I will leave you with this one...

Some of my photos

2009-12-05T14:20:00.012-05:00

Here are some of my photos that I took in England. Here is Buckingham Palace Road...a bit of a challenge to take since it is 1 story above street level but it just shows what persistence will get you.

This photo cracks me up because they are non-existent in the US and it just felt like I was in the 1950's or something. It is a cigarette snuffer that is still located on buses around England.

This is a photo of a Colchester knight, right outside Colchester Castle. Colchester is the oldest city in England. And did you know that to be classified as a city in England the location has to have a cathedral in it?

Here is my entrance to Parliament in London...

I love medieval stained glass. This is from a church in Suffolk called Blythburgh. There is an interesting story about a demon dog called Black Shuck but I will get into that another time.

You can currently find these prints in amyshort.etsy.com. I have a really cool project I am working on but I can't say anything about that at the moment because it is a surprise. :o) Off to work now. TTFN.

Oi Vey it has been a loooooong time but....

2009-12-02T08:58:00.009-05:00

I'm back baby!! No excuses...minus children, house, husband, school, etc. that is my life...my poor blog was put on the back burner. No more! I will now post weekly, if not more, that is...if I have something to say. ;o)

I want to share with you one of my latest projects. I have completed this website for an amazing architect. His name is Robert M. Berger and he is totally worth a shout out because he is so incredibly talented. Hi web address is www.robertmberger.com. He has a blog and will soon be starting to have webisodes. Please take a look because maybe he could design your dream home. :o)

I also want to mention that most of the photos on Robert's website are taken by another amazing talent...Melani Lust. Melani's work truly takes my breath away. I particularly adore her portraiture. Check out here website www.melanilustphotography.com

And finally, since I have been spending so much time on facebook (alas back of hand on forehead...it's true) I have set up a fan page. You can find it by searching Artwork by Amy Short. Or you can click on the link below. I will be posting similar things that you see here but you will be able to see updates easily if you are on facebook. Come and feel free to comment because I love feedback. Hope to 'see' you there or here.

Amy Berger Short is a fan of

Artwork by Amy Short

Create your Fan Badge

TTFN my friends.

Handmade News

2009-07-22T11:33:00.009-04:00

Lori Ward from Handmade News chose my illustration to put in an article that she has written. This is a fabulous site and I am so happy that she found me. Check it out! Lori is the owner of a quirky jewelry asylum called Risky Beads and the founder of Handmade Highway.

Click on the photo to get there directly or click here.

Thank you Lori. :o)

Birthdays, Boys and Broken Sculpts

2009-05-09T09:22:00.023-04:00

Hi All! Sorry for my lack o' posts. Life always gets in the way so I have decided that instead of only waiting for some inspirational art, I would show you a glimpse into the life that is mine. So what has happened since I last posted you ask? OK you didn't but if you are still reading, this is what's up.

My baby turned 3! Happy Birthday my darling boy!! It was a celebration that consisted of Thomas the Train -- Thomas the Train bicycle, Thomas the Train cake and more Thomas!

Here's the cake...

Surprise...my first bicycle! No more trike for me! We spent an hour building this the night before and then my husband 'hid' it in the basement. Not anticipating that Ben would actually go down into the basement (why not he goes everywhere else?) I heard, "YAY MY BICYCLE!!!" from the basement at 9 am....surprise!! Oh well, at least he loved it! This was his acting surprised face when we brought it upstairs. :o)

It's good to be the king...kiss my ring.

Heavy sigh...here it comes. Then came, dare I say, my 40th birthday! I mean my 11th annual 29th!! HA! We had the best day. We went out for lunch and then off to the Andy Warhol Museum for some Silver Clouds:

That is such a dreamy room. They ran around like crazy boys but then we all laid on the floor and watched them float by. Simple concept, very brilliant. Thanks Mr. Warhol.

This is Remy holding onto a cloud.

Then we went off to see the Darth Vader painted mask exhibit a couple of floors below. Very cool. Loads of Darth Vader Masks that artists painted and changed to create their own version of the dark lord.

The kids dug it but it is so hard to explain to a now 3 yr old, 4 1/2, and almost 7 yr old not to cross the black line and don't touch anything. You really wanted to. They did good though. Good boys! No photos were allowed to be taken. :o(

On the way home we saw this on the corner:

A cool transformer-like sculpture that is made of the bridges of Pittsburgh. Too cool. I have to look into who made this.

Anyhoo, the birthday celebration continued with dinner out and cake. My boys picked out my birthday cake. Now every woman deserves a light up princess birthday cake don'tcha think?

Here was mine:

Now I think that they should start making queen cakes!

Max wrote a book for me:

In between birthdays, my son Max accidentally knocked my nameless guy off the table and broke his neck after my son Ben decided to paint him black! Remember this guy?

Well, he currently has a broken neck, flat cheek and black chest. No worries though, I can rebuild him, I have the technology. (Sheesh that is showing my age!) I will mend his neck, repaint him and add a cheek implant. Max felt horrible but it was truly an accident, I actually saw it happen and how can I not be mad at Ben for painting him black? I can't, he was trying to be creative, takes after his mom!

And lastly, my oldest turned 7!! Heavy sigh...where does the time go?!?! Now how about this for a cake?!?

So cool that I have to give you the action shot:

And of course Max's first reaction when he saw it:

There you have it. The life that is mine. Hope you weren't too bored. Believe me I could go on with the home improvement projects we have going on but I won't! lol

New WIP

2009-03-20T08:38:00.009-04:00

Here are some new heads that I am working on. A little different from my norm and at the moment I have no idea what they will end up being but that can be exciting...and nerve wracking depending on my mood. ;o) I've been playing with different styles of ears...some have proper ears, some pointy and some like my illustrations.

Sorry for the bad photos, my camera stinks...time to start saving for a new one!

Art Collectors and Treasury

2009-03-09T16:08:00.007-04:00

I would like to introduce you to two beautiful girls who have excellent taste in art! Alison and Madeline are not only artists themselves but they have become collectors. I am proud to say that they are the daughters of my dear friend Christy who I am back in contact with after 20 years! Yay! They also know how to frame things well too. Couldn't have picked out more perfect frames myself girls...thanks for digging my art. I look forward to see your creations in the future. :o)

I am also pleased that I was chosen for an Etsy treasury by TheWorldIsMyStudio.etsy.com. Thank you so much and that is a perfect treasury - all things Paris, my favorite!!

Lastly, I am working on a few new sculpts and will be posting them in progress soon. My youngest decided recently to get into my black paint and paint some of my sculpts that were in progress. I have to rework them to be able to cover the black...heavy sigh...they are only young once and I guess he was showing me his creative side. LOL But seriously...did he HAVE to use black?!!?

OH one more thing!!...My blog was a year old January 16th and I completely missed it! Time is flying by! Happy Birthday blog o'mine and thank you all for taking the time to read it! :o)

Wow...has time flown by!

2009-01-07T11:56:00.011-05:00

It has been waaaay too long since I last posted and for that I apologize. I haven't been as productive as I would like due to lots of visitors (YAY) and children's illnesses (BOO) but we are back to "normal" now.

Happy New Year! I have not made ANY resolutions this year because I think that sets me up for failure so forget it!

I have reclaimed my work space that was taken over by lego for a while. A Christmas thing! Here is photo from our Christmas... Yes we did the matching pajamas thing. I think that it is so cute while they are little. Also a photo with the Christmas crackers and dinner. Fun and yummy food. The kids had a great Christmas which always makes me happy. My husband and I had a great Christmas because his younger brother Aaron decided to surprise us with a visit. You may not think this is a big deal but boy I do since he came from London! Good times.

Over the holiday I lost my voice for about 5 days it would come and go. I never had that that long before. Funny story, since you know I often include little conversations in my blog, though usually with my kids. This conversation took place with a local checkout girl at the supermarket. It went something like this:

Girl: Do you have your shopper's card?
Me: Yes (broken and half whisper)
Girl: What?
Me: Sorry I have laryngitis. (cracked and whispered)
Girl: Oh that's ok...I'll talk louder!
Me: I haven't lost my hearing, I've lost my voice!

Ahhhh, our school system makes me proud! LOL

One more thing, Aaron took me to an open mic night in Pittsburgh and even though I felt kinda yuck and couldn't talk I had soooo much fun. I videoed him with his little new camera and you can watch it here. Yes I am biased but he is so freakin' talented so check him out.

OH and even one MORE thing...I want to thank two fabulous artists who blessed me with two more blog awards. One is the lovely Colleen from Loopy Boopy. It means a lot to me that you dig my art. I feel the same way! And the equally as lovely Sonia from The Dark Raven's Nest. Thank you soooo much, it really does mean a lot to me. :o)

More soon.

Banner Day in Blogland!

2008-11-14T15:57:00.010-05:00

What an awesome day. I got two awards today and I feel totally honored.

First, Ghostly Diva Gail Lackey whom I admire like crazy, gave me a bop from her cohort Mrs. Pennythistle. Gail makes the most amazing dolls so be sure to check her out! As for Miss Pennythistle...be careful she's crafty and not in the Martha Stewart kind of way....just a warning. ;o)

And now I just got a very cool Marie Antoinette - A Real Person, A Real Award from Tashai at her blog named Ultraviolet Wind. Her work is freakin' amazing and I adore it and her and her blog! Check her out and thank you so much Tashai!

You both have made my day!

Now for the rules of the Marie Antoinette award

Here are the Rules for the Award:
1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Place a link to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them

So here are my nominations for the Marie Antoinette award:
1. Chasing the Pesticide Truck (I freaking love that title, cracks me up every time and her work does too, skill and fun - love it!)
2. Bonehead Studios (Flora is an amazing sculptor!)
3. Fractured Fairytales (Rosanna makes fabulous dolls with amazing skill)
4. La La La Illustrations (Leanne, you are one of my favorite people with AMAZING skill)
5. Raising Creative Kids (Jen, keep up the great work because little artists become big ones one day!)
6. My Sweet Imaginations (anyone who creates work this sweet deserves an award!)
7. Gail Lackey - (Ghosties, Fairies and Magical Things) I had to give you an award back because not only are you so much fun but your skill is phenomenal. ;o)

Thank you all for your inspiration! :o)

Finally Jane

2008-11-06T13:56:00.015-05:00

Ok, ok , you all can stop giving me a hard time now...Jane is finished. ;o) I broke down and bought a new tool and worked her over a lot. For me, painting is the hardest part and I still don't have it down to where I want it yet. Also, next to painting, sculptures are so hard to photograph as they look soooooo much better in person! That is what I love about sculpture, it demands to be viewed in person, that it really should be viewed in the round. I'll do a video again soon but not today. I would say that the ones of her on the bookcase are the closest to what her true color is.

So also, how funny is the photo of her backside. I didn't realize that Earl Grey was staring at her bum! he he I really like her on the bookcase but it is just so hard to convey how dark she actually is. Probably time for a new camera.

Here is my next painting project. Haven't figured out what to name him yet. That is unusual for me because normally the names come to me fast. Maybe I will name him when he is done or get all of your opinions. They look soooooo different once they are painted. Could be an Edward. What do you think?

One more thing...thank you thank you thank you for ALL of your fabulous comments. You are the best!