Sheila Oettinger

Secrets of the Women 3
stoneware

I have spent my entire career as a sculptor. There have been two constants, during those years: the figure as my subject, and clay as my medium.

I work in an evolutionary manner ideally suited to clay. It gives me the freedom I could not have with any other material. Clay also gives my figurative sculptures a contemporary, earthy energy that matches well with my highly textured, almost impressionistic technical style.

While I add color and surface patinas to my pieces, my goal is to enhance, not to hide, the inherent beauty of the natural clay.

© Sheila Oettinger