The Verve: Aryn Lindsey Fields is moving with purpose into the life of an artist

Aryn Lindsey Fields likes running through fields of clay. Though she paints, sketches and makes lithographs, clay is her medium of choice. Working in a studio on the South Hill that was designed to be a garage, she hand-forms 3-D portraits.

“I enjoy creating personalities,” she said. “I want the viewer to look at one of my faces and wonder what they are thinking, what their history is.”

At 24, Fields doesn’t yet have much of a history as an artist; she is still figuring things out, experimenting and trying to find her niche while pursuing her passion. “I am going to continue creating for as long as I live,” she said. “My panic comes from the possibilities that I may not be able to support myself like I hope to do.”

Fields attended Lewis and Clark High School, where she was introduced to ceramics. For a while, she considered being an underwater welder. She took a course in the field but her dreams of frolicking on beautiful beaches were dashed when her teacher informed her that the job was not so romantic, and dangerous to boot.

“I decided that I wanted to live past 40,” she said.

She chose ceramics instead and graduated in June with a degree in art from Spokane Falls Community College.

Still, she second-guesses her choice.

“When I’m creating my pieces, I never second-guess, because it feels so right to do it,” she said. “But when I’m showing my work, I wonder if it’s worth it. ‘Artful’ is not always appreciated.”

She’s giving it a whirl, though, creating smaller and more practical pieces like earrings, mugs and miniature faces to support her fine-art aspirations, which include visually stunning head and bust sculptures with surreal elements. Her favorite is an androgynous bust with human hair (Field’s) and a serene expression on whose shoulder a hand rests. The hand’s slender forearm is cut off at the elbow, where a round yellow smiley face sits.

She is still working on the glazing process but enjoys staining her work more. She hopes to work on a bigger scale in the future, but her electric kiln is small. Her next larger works will include wall pieces: slabs of clay wired together from which faces emerge.

Young and passionate about what she does, Fields is jumping in head first, with an Etsy and a Facebook page, and doing craft shows and approaching galleries. She recently joined Saranac Art Projects and will participate in the nonprofit’s small-works show in December.

“I am constantly stuck inside my imagination,” she said, “I create to convey the feelings, stories and random thoughts that keep my mind occupied.”