From her series “Praise,” textile artist Ann Sheffield explores natural and synthetic fibers of various textures, employing each tangible strand in long, intertwining braids. The variety of braids, some loose, others tightly wound, are then gathered and secured at the top with a bow or tie, creating a vertical piece. Each interlacing braided strand is unified through the color scheme of one primary color, like green or red; the variety of fibers differentiates each braid, expressing diversity. I immediately connections with hairstyles; the cascade of thick and thinner braids remind me of characters from fairy tales.
Two of her pieces are in the exhibition “Connecticut Women Artists (CWA): Continuing the Legacy,” a celebration of the organization’s 90th anniversary, promoting members in the visual arts through a variety of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media, clay, metal, glass and fiber. “Women’s Health” is a vertical work in vibrant reds and pinks and “Praises: Moss” is composed of braids in colliding greens. I was immediately drawn to Sheffield’s work in part because of my recent interest in needlework by 19th-century women and the ways “craft” has been elevated to fine art through the contemporary, feminist artistic practice in fibers. In my looking experience and deeper contemplation of Sheffield’s pieces, I relate the varying strands of fiber within the context of one unifying color to my own artistic life as a writer and art historian. The multitudes of textures and hues of color appear at first random and crowded, yet they express for me a richness, the braids uneven, blissful terrain for my imagination and curiosity to dive through.
Ann Sheffield is a retired art teacher who experiments with mixed media and works in series. The exhibition is displayed at Mandell Jewish Community Center’s Chase Family Gallery until January 31, 2020. Click link to learn more: https://www.ctwomenartists.org/