Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheryl Sherwood. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Since childhood, Sheryl Sherwood has worked in various mediums while searching for a creative medium to call her “passion.” While taking a class from a local potter in 2011, Sheryl fell in love with clay and all its possibilities and has had her hands in clay ever since. Retired from two careers, her work experiences are deeply embedded in each organic clay piece. The first, an environmental agency, raised Sheryl’s awareness and appreciation for the world that has been put in our care. The second was as an elementary teacher of blind and visually impaired students at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. In this career, Sheryl taught students to use tactile forms to enhance their daily learning and encouraged their creativity in class and in the art club she co-sponsored. Today, I work from my home studio in St. Augustine and show and sell my work in the PAStA Fine Art Gallery in St. Augustine, Florida. I have been a member of FEMart Gallery since 2022. I am also a member of the St. Augustine Art Association, where I have participated in several shows, including the Annual Tactile Art Show, and a member of the First Coast Cultural Center.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Art, in any medium, is indeed a journey. We must be patient while learning, growing, and finding our creative voice. The road will always have smooth and rough patches, but we must persevere. As a potter, I have improved my techniques and found the road to be smooth thus far. I found a lovely gallery in St. Augustine, PAStA Fine Art Gallery, to show and sell my work. I also have been blessed to find several other outlets to show my work occasionally. The roughest part is finding a Call for Artists for 3-dimensional art. I encourage artists to find groups to meet with that can encourage them and help them grow in their art form.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a potter. Each uniquely designed clay piece is hand-coiled and combines my life experiences. No two pots are ever the same. Because of my experience with blind and visually impaired children and adults, I use various materials to make textures and carvings that allow them to “see” the art themselves. My goal is that every pot keeps its most organic form while including movement, texture, and carvings for visual and tactile appeal. I’m proud of finding enjoyable techniques and making my poster stand out. As I build, I create each piece, forming, scraping, texturing, and burnishing. When burnishing (smoothing/shining) the pot, I use a variety of stones and often one of my grandmother’s silver spoons to gain the shine on the pots. I don’t use glazes, so I pit-fire the pieces once the pot has been bisque-fired. The smoke from the fire creates lovely coloring on the red Georgia clay. I suppose my smoking method makes my pieces very unique – I can never recreate the coloring on the pots I’ve made. I also embellish some of my pots with metal leaves, often gold and copper. These colorings add a great deal to the feel of the pottery.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Hah! This is a great question. I was always curious and wanted to know how things were made. I was always trying to figure out how they worked, how to build them, and how to create them as an adult, and my curiosity has stayed the same. As most children do, I began experimenting with scissors, glue, and crayons. As I grew older, art became my main focus, and I dabbled in drawing, painting, knitting, and anything I could make with my hands. I was always “wearing” dabs of paint in my hair and clothes, and I wore it as a badge of honor for loving to create. I also loved traveling, participating in scouting, and my church. These experiences contributed to my artistic journey and have made me a more well-rounded artist. I will never grow out of my curiosity. And I can still be found “wearing” clay somewhere on me. So maybe I’m not “grown up” yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.inspireddesignsbysheryl.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspireddesigns.ss/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspireddesignsbysheryl
Image Credits
Headshot credit – Stephany Gilmore
