In the world of Laura Shefler

I would love to present artworks created by Laura Shefler. Laura Shefler is creating magic world of the colours. Bright colours. Colours which sound like a symphony. Colourful patterns which are talking about the passion and the joy of life, the joy of being. Laura Shefler is a San Francisco Bay Area artist, educator, and art historian known for her layered, expressive multimedia creations, including paintings, paper collages, and jewelry. Drawing inspiration from early 20th-century abstract pioneers like Hilma af Klint, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Paul Klee, Shefler weaves organic forms, memory, and childhood wonder into intricate visual arrangements. --- ## The Role of Colour in Her Artwork Colour is a primary storytelling element in Shefler's portfolio, functioning not just as decoration, but as emotional and structural scaffolding for her compositions. ### 1. Saturated and Jewel-Toned Fields Shefler frequently utilizes deep, luminous backgrounds—such as rich cobalt blues, turquoises, and warm earthy ochres—to anchor her layered designs. These saturated fields create an immersive depth, allowing floating collage elements and line work to pop with high contrast. ### 2. Joyful and Playful Palette Choices Reflecting her stated creative spark—rooted in a child's delight in bright blossoms and shiny objects—her color choices tend toward vibrant, uplifting hues. Accent tones of warm gold, fiery reds, and soft floral whites dance across her canvases, creating a rhythmic energy that feels both energetic and harmonious. ### 3. Layered Contrast and Texture Through mixed media (such as acrylics combined with paper collages), Shefler applies color in varying opacities. Translucent washes sit alongside solid geometric and organic shapes, producing dynamic visual textures where underlying colors peak through top layers, suggesting memory, time, and growth. Laura Shefler’s work as an art historian and educator directly informs her studio practice, grounding her expressive, abstract creations in human history and accessible storytelling. ## Teaching Philosophy & Academic Work Shefler views art as a universal language that spans human history, tracing creative expression from prehistoric cave paintings to modern abstraction. Her teaching career includes significant work with youth and community academic initiatives: * **UC Berkeley’s Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP):** Shefler has designed and taught advanced courses in art history, AP Art History, writing, and public speaking. In her art history classes, she emphasizes making historical topics approachable—using examples like the Bayeux Tapestry as a historical ancestor to comic books or exploring the mathematical patterns behind Islamic tilework to engage diverse student interests. * **Demystifying Art History:** Through her teaching, Shefler aims to help students re-engage with the innate childhood curiosity they had before formal education, encouraging them to view art not as an elite subject, but as a shared human heritage. ## Art History Lectures & Community Outreach In addition to formal classroom instruction, Shefler actively lectures on art history for popular audiences and community groups. * **30,000 Years of Inspiration:** Her public lectures draw connections across thousands of years of art history. She synthesizes broad historical trends—from classical traditions to 20th-century pioneers like Paul Klee and Hilma af Klint—and presents them in accessible, engaging ways. * **Connection to Her Art:** Studying art history serves as a constant wellspring of inspiration for her own mixed-media work. The techniques she analyzes—such as ancient bronze casting, symbolic color choices, and spatial composition—regularly find their way back into her collage layouts and layered paintings.