Art Chowder January | February 2018, Issue 13 | Page 18

Moving
Mountains
An Interview with DAVID SHORT
BY JOCELYN WHITFIELD-BABCOCK
T
he spirit of the world wide web
is to bring together and connect
people who would not ordinarily
meet. This networking tool is used
to share information, communicate,
and organize groups. Over the past
couple of decades, artists from around
the globe have found a platform to
interact in new and exciting ways.
This is true of David Short, a Virginia
contemporary realist oil painter. A
member of multiple Facebook groups,
he is fast becoming a household name
in the online artist community.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Similar to numerous professional
artists, Short had no formal training.
In middle school, his parents saw
a talent and placed him in one
painting class normally reserved for
adults. That was the extent of art for
Short’s younger years.
In his secondary education, Short
majored in journalism at the
University of Richmond to “learn
how to tell the truth,” but as a
postgraduate, was employed as an
advertising salesman and became
“a professional liar.” Now, through
his realism paintings, he is “back to
trying to tell the truth.”
Eight years ago, Short purchased
a paint set and took a multi-media
class taught by Christopher Wynn,
winner of over 65 national and
international awards. His talent as
a youth remained with him. Still
the salesman by training, he asked
a local wine shop to display his art
and “one thing led to another.”