I was born and raised in the New York area and have lived in Manhattan most of my adult life. At Southampton College, I majored in painting but spent many years pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter. I performed in the NYC club circuit for over ten years and am a published songwriter. Missing my visual arts roots, I began working in clay which started me on a new artistic path. Over the years I studied and worked in various Potteries and have exhibited both locally and nationally. I am currently on the faculty at Greenwich House Pottery in NYC and The Art School at Old Church in Demarest, New Jersey.

What motivates my work is a compelling urge to play, create, feel and think outside of our stressful world. It is inspiring to surround myself with beauty and appreciate all the visual stimulation that our environment and art have to offer.

My pieces are both planned and spontaneous. One enhances the other much like the relationship of form and surface which have equal value in my vision. It is my ambition that these elements enhance and compliment one another. Generally, my work has been guided less by the need to decorate and more by the desire to create a surface, or painting if you will, that is married to the form. The surface should flow with the shape and create an endless line of movement. The texture of the clay gives a natural background to my palette and drawings, which are dictated by the forms. The abstract forms and painted surfaces are influenced by my music and painting background. Pattern is rhythm, palette is harmony, lines and shapes are lyrical.

Clay work is a art from life. It elevates the ordinary and helps us focus on the beauty in our daily lives.

Sheryl Zacharia 2008

info@sherylzacharia.com