The Professional Artists of St. Augustine (PAStA) Fine Art Gallery, of 214 Charlotte St., St. Augustine, has announced that member and board officer Sheryl Sherwood’s coil-made, pit-fired pottery is currently on display in the Haskell Gallery in the Jacksonville 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 St. Johns counties.”
Sherwood’s work will be on display through December 2023.
“I have been involved with the arts since I was a child,” she said. “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 for the Deaf and the Blind, she took a pottery class and has not looked back since.
Building on both careers, 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 artform, she pit-fires her pots or raku fires them for their unique colorations and patterns. Each pot is one of a kind.
Her pottery has been featured in St. Augustine’s Loving Our Town Magazine, as well as Canvas Rebel. Her 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 Sherwood’s work by at pastagalleryart.com or facebook.com/pastaartgallery. Go to inspireddesignsbysheryl.com for more information
PAStA 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.
