Amy Lind, 27, knows how to create a real circus. Recently the Los Angeles artist displayed her paintings depicting clowns, trapeze artists, and men on stilts in a show at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC. Gallery visitors probably didn’t realize the great lengths Amy went to in order to acquire authentic reference material for her oil paintings. She put out casting calls on Craigslist for models, screened head shots, and sifted through photos of would-be lion tamers and ringmasters. After choosing 16 models she rented costumes, props, and a tent. She brought all the elements together in a photo shoot worthy of a Hollywood feature film. “Who doesn’t love the circus?” Amy declares. Now the young artist says she has ideas for more characters she wants to depict—a fire-dancer, strongman, and Siamese twins. To read more about Amy Lind, pick up a copy of Southwest Art’s February issue. –Bonnie Gangelhoff