ARTIST: Teresa SHields
Art Histories are highly curated presentations of an artists’ life’s work provided for appreciators today, scholars of tomorrow, and generations to come.
Teresa Shields, an artist residing near Philadelphia in Jenkintown, finds inspiration in fabric, thread, wool fiber, magnets, and wood. Her creative journey started with interpreting abstract shapes from sliced fruits and vegetables through embroidery. Transitioning to wet felting in 2016, she explores transforming wool fibers into solid, yielding hollow forms, marking her ongoing artistic fascination. Known for her idiosyncratic work that beckons tactile engagement, Teresa has exhibited across the United States, accumulating over 20 awards and collections by eight institutions. She has exhibited her work at the Woodmere Art Museum, the Santa Paula Art Museum, and the Hunterdon Art Museum, where she recently won first prize and a forthcoming solo exhibition. Holding a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA from Mass College of Art, her educational background deeply influences her artistic vision.
Strengthening her ties within the artistic community, Teresa has earned recognition as a resident artist twice - at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society at Meadowbrook Farm and Abington Art Center. Represented by Gravers Lane Gallery in Philadelphia, her work has been featured in publications and prominent solo exhibitions at Philadelphia art institutions including the University of the Arts. Teresa Shields continues to captivate audiences through her innovative artistic expressions, manifesting a profound dedication to her craft while evoking sensory experiences.
“My felt making is the opposite of straight forward. It is two steps ahead and one step backwards. The problem child. The art that acts out but is loved unconditionally.”
COLLECTION: WET FELTED 3-D HOLLOW FORMS
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Artist Statement
I have been around fabric and stitching my whole life. I am a maker. I love things that have a human touch. I look at nature–plant forms, geometry, cell structures, bones, antlers, wings–to see the underlying connections these things have in common. My embroideries are straight forward. I proceed very deliberately one stitch and then another, each knot, each color a decision, meditative and slow, but always moving forward. I rarely rip out stitches.
My felt making is the opposite of straight forward. It is two steps ahead and one step backwards. The problem child. The art that acts out but is loved unconditionally. If I can’t sleep or have a spare minute, I think about ways to construct things with wool roving and partial felt. The process is like candy, for my ADD brain. Working backwards. Big whole picture, then part to part.
I have a quirky sense of humor that occasionally shows but also love making things that are simply beautiful. Craftsmanship matters to me. Sometimes I set difficult parameters for myself -just because. The challenge is to make things that show my hand, my skill, my vision.
PUBLICATION
Nature Inspired: Autumn
Published by Falling Leaves Press
ISBN: 978-0997066043
Collection: POMEGRANATES
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Collection: POST-EDENIC DYSTOPIAN EMBROIDERY
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Collection: A SLICE OF NATURE
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Collection: SEED HEADS & PODS
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Collection: CELLS
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Collection: INliquid RESIDENCY at PHS Meadowbrook Farm, Jenkintown, PA
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PRESS
Teresa Shields with What Fresh New Hell is This? Installation, 2023 © Teresa Shields 2023
Amie Potsic interviews Teresa Shields about her award winning felt installations and current exhibitions.
Trending Threads by Teresa Shields | Fiber Artist | Jenkintown, PA
Click the video to watch the full segment featuring work by Teresa Shields.
Video Credits: Sam Orberter Photography; Sound/Music Editor: Ruby Westkaemper
Highlights Include:
Art Live: Focus on Fiber
Written by Constance McBride
© Teresa Shields, Appendages, 2020, Wool, embroidery, magnets, walnut, 10.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches
Teresa Shields
Written by Gravers Lane Gallery
© Teresa Shields, The Whims of Her Children, 2020, Wool magnets, walnut, 6.5 x 5.5 x 2 inches
Artist Spotlight: Teresa Shields -
Wonder, Miracles, and Magical Snow Globes
Written by Deborah Kostianovsky
© Teresa Shields, Interior Fig, 2015, French knots on wool felt, 6 x 6 x 1.5 inches
© Teresa Shields, My Joy, 2021, Wool magnets, wood, 10 x 14 x 8 inches
To acquire artwork from Teresa Shield’s collection, email info@amiepotsicartadvisory.com.
Click here to download Teresa Shield’s CV.
To learn more about the artist: www.teresashieldsart.com
CREATE HISTORY NOW
Our Art Histories program features highly curated presentations of an artist’s life’s work provided for appreciators today, scholars of tomorrow, and generations to come. Creating your own art history is an important opportunity for artists to shape their own legacy.
By documenting, exhibiting, and publishing their artwork as well as placing works with institutions and collections, we help artists give the gift of creativity now and tomorrow. To learn more about Legacy Planning, contact us directly to schedule a consultation.