Candy Austin

I believe that some of the simplest art can also be the most powerful.  In my work, I strive for simple forms that express emotion through gesture.  The objects that I create are neither human nor animal, but a communication of feelings through abstraction.  The form and surface are equally important to understanding whatever emotion I am capturing.  The smallest turn of a head, slump of the shoulders, or movement of an arm can communicate passion, regret, or longing.  

My work deals with relationships.  These relationships are the interactions that take place between pieces within a work as well as between the work and the viewer.  Multiple forms combine to create more complex compositions that contain all forms of emotions and interactions only waiting to be found out.  The forms themselves are inspired by aspects of the human body, such as a rotund belly, a long neck, or an open mouth, and shapes found in nature, particularly twisting intertwined tree branches and balancing rock formations.   Interactions between the forms are important to me, as well as the way the pieces relate with and animate the space around them.  What interests me the most is the relationship the viewer has to my work, whether it is physically sitting in a piece, standing close to see detail, or visually making a connection with memories in their life.

I was born in Denver, CO in 1981 and grew up in Ponca City, Ok.  It was there that I developed an early passion for clay around the age of 13.  My first apprenticeship took place with a couple of local potters at the age of 14 where I learned about the wheel and firing. I attended college at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK where I earned a BFA in Ceramics in 2003.  After graduating, I took an apprenticeship at Paseo Pottery in Oklahoma City.  In 2004 I started attending graduate school at the University of Dallas in Irving, TX, earning an MA in 2005 and an MFA in 2007.   I am now a nationally exhibiting artist and an Adjunct Professor at several Dallas-Fort Worth area colleges.