Is your art speaking to you?

“The Rabbi”

Personal Collection

If you could live with any artwork in your home, what would it look like?

I've been thinking a lot about this question recently, both as an artist and a collector. 

Would your artwork be bold and dramatic, soft and quiet, or whimsical and humorous?  Do you bring it into your home as a found treasure or because it works well with your furnishings or aesthetics?

The art we live with becomes part of our daily rhythm.  It holds our emotions and memories.  

It is something I have been striving for in my studio….creating compelling work that lives with your daily rhythm.

Each piece develops its little personality along the way…mischievous, curious, whimsical, humorous.  Needing to tell its story.  Looking to connect with you.

So, if you could have any artwork in your home…what would it look like?  More importantly, how would it make you feel?

Wishing you endless curiosity in your collecting.

Warmly~Sheri

STUDIO RAMBLINGS

A Quiet Note from the Studio

Lately the studio has felt a little quieter than usual.  

I've been feeling the heaviness that seems to hang in the air these days.  In times like this I sometimes wonder what place my small handmade characters have in such a big, complicated world.

But the clay keeps reminding me.

It reminds me that making something with my hands slows the noise.  That shaping a small creature or a curious character from a lump of clay is its own quiet act of hope.  Each piece begins in a simple bag of clay and gradually finds its personality…a tilt of the head, a whimsical stance, a moment of wonder.

I may not be bold enough to believe my art will change the world in any grand way.  What I do hope is that these small creations carry a bit of lightness with them.  A pause.  A smile.  A moment of curiosity sitting on a shelf or windowsill.

And perhaps, in their own small way, they remind us to stay soulful.

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few new pieces as they emerge from the kiln…some whimsical animals, a few curious personalities, and whatever else decides to wander out of the clay.  

Warmly~Sheri

Honoring Women’s History Month

In honor of Women's History Month, I wanted to share my thoughts on what inspires my work and my intention.  

I am not out to change the world, but I stand in the approach of the work I'm creating.  What I do strive for is that, in some small but meaningful way, it helps shape my granddaughters' approach to being soulful, courageous, and free to express themselves.  That they hold the power as women to sculpt their lives with confidence, love, and passion.  If my commitment and work ethic can inspire them, it was a journey well traveled.  

Each of my sculptures is a reflection of what was, and what is to come.  Each piece is intentionally created, and a form of mediation and affirmation of what is possible.  Some days I am exposing what I am feeling on that day, and pushing into the clay makes me work toward strength, gratitude, patience, and most importantly playfulness.

Thank you for following along!

~Sheri

studio ramblings

When I was in my “Rookie Era” I wasn't immediately good at clay…I never knew what to do with a mound of wet clay that spun around on a wheel, and I never had the insight to know what to do with it.   Does it want to be a bowl, mug, vase?  I just made lots of ugly pots.  

When I started creating work, I simply just did it.  It was easy…showing up at the community studio, chatting with other students, discussing different techniques and showing off our elementary style pots, and discussing what coffee flavor we tried that week.  It was a delightful way to spend an evening out.   

When I started putting work out into the world and being judged for its intrinsic value of style, composition, color harmony, and subject matter…it became terrifying, and sometimes still is.

I've realized that the joy is in the process and not always in the outcome.  The joy is in the emails you send and the photos you share when my pieces find homes with you.  My joy is in your joy.

Thank you for following along and making all this possible.

~Sheri

Blueberry

2026

Low Pressure

Muddy Stiletto Studio

My husband recently referred to me as being a low pressure system that moves into our house when I come home.  He never knows what to expect, or what storm clouds or energy might be moving in with me. 

He is always supportive of my art journey and encouraging when I need to spend time in my studio…and I thought it was just that, supportive and encouraging.  But perhaps it is his way of assuring that high pressure moves back in faster after some creative studio sessions.  

Spending time developing a body of work, working out the details and color stories that go with them, crossing my fingers when a load is firing, to the final step of waxing brings with it magical moments of wonder.  

I am working on a small series of 5 birds that you will get access to first before they go into the gallery the beginning of March.  I'll post a link here when they are finished.  Below is a sneak peek as they dry, and before I start adding colorants.

 Wishing you all a wonderful week…filled with peace, joy, and a splash of humor.

~Sheri

Remember Her?

Remember Her?

“Somewhere, inside of you there is a little firecracker with her arms folded and a frown on her face…desperate, to see more of this thing we call life.  Go get her, she's fun.” 

Donna Ashworth, 'to the women'

Growing up in the 60's were met with a set of cultural standards…it often meant that my outside was conforming, but my insides were screaming to be set free.  

It is the experiences of those formidable years that kept me from pursuing my true interest…art.  You could argue that working as an interior designer was working in the art world.  And to some degree that would be correct.  

But I mean getting my hands dirty, making a mess, and being immersed for hours… that's where the magic happens.  When I allow my firecracker self to go to a place of pure joy and a sense of learned humor, that's where the compelling work comes from, and my focus for 2026.

Curiosities

Personal Collection

Curiosities…I was recently watching a film when this word grabbed my attention… one I haven't heard used for years since my early training in the world of interior design.  My inner designer perked up.  When used it refers to decorating with tiny moments of wonder-objects that make you pause, smile, and imagine where they've been.  It's about collecting, living with what you have acquired, and displaying with pride.

It also conjured up thoughts about conversations I have with collectors when I am at shows, exhibitions, galleries, or visits to my studio where my work is shown.  The questions that come up the most are ‘where do you get your ideas’, and ‘do you have a wild imagination’.  It also made me realize that when my work is collected, they too become “curiosities”.  And, I have to say that the thought of that makes me really happy.  That I can sit in my little studio and create artwork that will become curiosities in your homes.  

You see, that without those collected and cherished artworks, antiques, family heirlooms, and objects acquired during your travels, your home will never feel like a retreat or a place that beckons you home.  

So continue to collect those wonderful pieces you see, add them to your collections, display them proudly or quietly, and relish the story or experience that came with them, and perhaps the artist that was behind the making.

Happy collecting…and thank you for following along, collecting my work, and cheering me on!!  ~Fondly, Sheri

What’s in a Name

What's in a Name?

One of the most challenging aspects of this crazy art journey is naming a piece once it's completed. I keep names in notebooks, in my phone, on scraps of clay covered tablets in my studio.  They are everywhere.  I also keep a list of names I've already used so I don't repeat them.  

Why am I putting this into a newsletter?  Because, I too am an art collector.  I have been slowly replacing all our prints that don't have a sentimental attachment, with original artwork by some of my favorite artists.  In December I received a call from a gallery about a new oil painting that was dropped off by an artist who I am actively collecting.  She agreed to hold it until I could get in. During the purchase the gallery staff said, oh I just love what she named this piece, and proceeded to tell me the name.  I had an immediate visceral response. Its name is associated with a local body of water that frightens me.  I began regretting my decision even before my payment went through.  I have been lamenting this for a number of weeks, loving the piece, than not loving the piece because of it's name, and then deciding that I need to LOVE this piece because it was $$$.  

So this experience has made me look at my own body of work and wonder if names influence your decision when looking to purchase a piece.  I would love to hear from you.  This may sound a bit trivial, but trust me it's not.  All artwork needs to be identified, thus the naming.  But does the name matter?  Let me know please!!