The Professional Artists of St. Augustine (PAStA) Fine Art Gallery, of 214 Charlotte Street, St. Augustine, is proud to announce member and board officer, Sheryl Sherwood’s coil-made, pit-fired pottery is currently on display in the Haskell Gallery in the airport. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority established the JAA Arts & Culture Program in 1995 to “soothe and inspire, and educate visitors regarding the abundant artistic and cultural resources available within our service region including Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and Saint John’s counties.” Her work will be on display through December 2023.
“I have been involved with the arts since I was a child, “Ms. Sherwood commented. “From crayons to paints, I was encouraged and inspired by my family, including my grandmother who taught me needle arts.”
Work and family put a hold on her artistic endeavors. After retiring from two careers, working in an environmental agency, and as an elementary teacher of blind and visually impaired students for the Florida School of the Deaf and the Blind, she took a pottery class and has not looked back since.
Building on both careers, Ms. Sherwood makes a conscious effort in her pottery-making to keep things as organic, and chemical-free as possible. Using naturally sourced clay from Georgia, she integrates her years of teaching through a tactile approach by incorporating natural impressions of seeds, stones and plants into her methodically built coiled pots. Continuing to honor the ancient art form, she pit-fires her pots or raku fires them for their unique colorations and patterns. Each pot is a one-of-a-kind.
Her pottery has been featured in St. Augustine’s Loving Our Town Magazine, as well as Canvas Rebel. Sheryl’s pieces have been included in a variety of exhibitions at the St. Augustine Art Association including the annual fall tactile art show and are shown at the Professional Artists of St. Augustine Fine Art Gallery, the First Coast Cultural Center, and the FemArt Gallery. She serves at the PAStA Secretary and her work is on display at the PAStA Fine Art Gallery in downtown St. Augustine.
See Sheryl’s work by visiting www.pastagalleryart.com or on our Facebook page.
Visit her website for more info.
About PAStA:
The Professional Artists of St. Augustine Fine Art Gallery (PAStA) on Charlotte Street, in downtown historic St. Augustine, Florida, was founded in 1982 by Jean Wagner Troemel, a champion of the arts, founder of the Winter Haven Ridge Art Association, served on the Florida Arts Group Board (FLAG), and spearheaded St. Augustine’s First Friday Art Walks. The gallery has served an international clientele a wealth of local talent and award-winning artists. In 2023, PAStA won The Best of Florida Regional Art Gallery, and was a finalist in the Best of St. Augustine Choice Awards. The gallery’s mission is to showcase local and regional art and to educate and encourage area artists.
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I did not connect with clay as an artistic outlet until mid-life. During a hectic and demanding career, while juggling family, job and my MBA, I needed a healthy outlet to release my frustrations while appealing to my sorely under-utilized creative needs.
One summer class gave me the impetus to redirect what little down-time I had into punching, pulling, coiling, pinching, slapping, and throwing this amazing and malleable material into anything my imagination desired. I found therapy through clay.
In the years since, I have received an Associate’s Degree from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire, and set up my first studio in a basement of our house. Currently, my studio has moved above ground – to my garage, but includes a wheel, large Skutt kiln, slab roller and an array of clay and glazes that would make a chameleon dizzy. I am a proud member of the Professional Artists of St. Augustine Fine Art Gallery since October of 2021.
I work with a variety of clays and glazes – from mid-temp stoneware and shiny glazes to low-fire and matte underglazes. I find inspiration in nature, children’s stories and fables, and my own untamed imagination!
