Mary Oestereicher Hamill: regardisregard
Mary Oestereicher Hamill is a multi-media artist and pioneer of participatory photo-based art, shining a light on the needs of poor and marginalized people in our society.
Teresa Shields, Seedbed, 2020, wet felted hollow forms (wool), magnets, walnut board, 6” x 48” x 8”
Seedbed
Through repetition the pods insist on being seen. They appear uniform in shape and size but at a closer look they are notably unique-made by hand not nature.
Seedbed (detail)
The pods, based on the maple seed, are not an exact realistic replica of the seed, but capture the essence, an artist’s interpretation. The placement on the board implies movement and the different lengths of the pod stems are like an interpretive dance. The clusters are not arranged in a regimented fashion and it is a direct contrast to the straight lines of the wooden board.
This is the second time Teresa Shields has combined wood and fiber in a bigger piece. The first was her Trending Threads Installation shown at Abington Art Center in 2017. While Shields’ home was being renovated in 2011, she became interested in wood, because many of the new design elements featured reclaimed lumber-and she was hooked. This was also the first time she considered using hidden magnets in the wood to give the work a sense of wonder, magic, and an element of play.
Teresa first learned how to make felted wool at a two week intensive study at Penland School of Crafts in 2016. Her other fiber work is more intricate, but she has been working diligently in her studio reverse engineering her vision and using math and partially felted wool and wool roving to make soft sculptures. This piece, Seedbed, has 61 individually wet felted hollow forms that are the pods. Strands of wool roving are wrapped around a custom sized resist and with warm soapy water and agitation the wool is felted into form. She worked on this piece over several months-on a good day she could make about six pods. She met a woodworker who was actually using reclaimed lumber and magnets in his own work so they collaborated to make the custom walnut board with hidden magnets to convey her idea.
Learn more about Teresa Shields at teresashieldsart.com.