As a youngster, Carl Shortt was attracted to wood and the process of making things with it. As a child, he used leftover lumber to make toy airplanes and boats, stick horses and scooters.  As an adult, he progressed to using wood to make decorative and functional lathe-turned vessels. Although his woodworking interests have changed over the years, two constants have remained: the need to make things with his hands and the use of discarded wood.

Carl received a BBA in Finance from the University of Oklahoma in 1969 and a Trust Major from The Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in 1988. His corporate career in banking has included being Head of the Trust department at the Oklahoma City Division of the Bank of Oklahoma. He has also received professional instruction from experts in the field of woodworking, including those at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Carl’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the Oklahoma City area, including JRB Art at The Elms, IAO Gallery, Rose State University, Stage Center, The Oklahoma Medical Center, Untitled Gallery, and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. Carl has contributed work to such organizations as the American Heart Association in Oklahoma City, the Pi Beta Phi Sorority at Indiana University, the Allied Arts of Oklahoma City, the Bishop McGuiness High School Parent/Teacher Organization, and the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. His work has been awarded multiple times at the State Fair of Oklahoma, including first place in three divisions and “Best in Show” in 2003 and first place in the Open Bowls division and second place in the Closed Vessels division in 2002.

Carl’s work is featured in a variety of public and private collections including Governor and Mrs. Frank Keating, PGA Professional golfer Hale Irwin, Ann Johnstone of Oklahoma City, Allied Arts of Oklahoma City, Barbara Henderson of Norman, Liz Eickman of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.