Description
‘Fell for the Ruse’ by Shelby Clark
Artist: Shelby Clark
Title: ‘Fell for the Ruse’
Medium: Polymer clay, acrylic paint, and wood
Dimensions: 14″ x 10″ x 3.5″
Framing: N/A
Year of Creation: 2024
About the Artwork:
My sculptures originate from both a deep love and deep respect for nature— specifically wildlife. I grew up watching raccoons and foxes in Mississippi, deer and coyotes in Georgia, alligators and herons in Louisiana, and dolphins and possums in Florida, so I’ve always been enamored by animals’ beauty and behaviors. They act in the interest of survival and entirely outside of our human narratives of “good” and “bad.” Due to that, when I look to them, I see an inherent honesty that’s difficult to locate in people. Animals don’t operate under ulterior motives, and because of that, I feel that they are the most authentic channels to explore other themes in art and human nature.
Similarly, my love for literature also permeates my subjects and style. I’ve always gravitated towards fantastical novels and poetry, and in many senses, I believe that in breaking down the laws of nonfiction, writers can often dig deeper into emotions and characters, which is what I work to do with clay. Adding the whimsy is my way of making each piece its own omniscient narrator, existing within its own tale.
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Shelby Clark is a sculptor originally from Pass Christian, Mississippi. She received her BA in English Literature from Flagler College in 2020, where she also minored in Environmental Science and Creative Writing. Following her graduation, Clark began experimenting with polymer clay and air dry clay. Since then, she has been honored to be included in group shows at the St. Augustine Art Association in St. Augustine Florida, at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Crisp-Ellert Art Museum in St. Augustine, Florida, and at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville, Georgia. In August 2023 she placed as a finalist in the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize Founders’ Emerging Artist category.
In addition to sculpting, Clark is a published poet with works most recently featured in the New Orleans Review, Rougarou: Journal of Arts and Literature, and the Nashville Review. She currently lives in Jacksonville with her fiancé, two dogs, cat, and hedgehog.