O.V. Verne Shaffer Sculpture

PRINCETON - Prairie Arts Council will present the show "1961'2011: 50 Years and Counting" featuring the sculptures of Princeton resident Verne Shaffer July 29'Aug. 28 at the Prairie Arts Center, 24 Park Ave. East, Princeton.

O.V. (Verne) Shaffer has gotten up early and gone to the "office," his sculpture studio, nearly every morning for more than 50 years. "Art is anything but relaxing," he says in a press release from Prairie Arts Center. "It's a profession that takes physical and mental energy."

Beginning his study of art at Beloit College, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1950, and Michigan State University, where he received his master's degree in 1955, Shaffer's career evolved from painter to educator. He was assistant professor of art at Olivet College from 1952'1954, professor of Art at Beloit College in 1955 and director of the Wright Art Center at Beloit College from 1955'1961. In 1959, Shaffer took a year'long leave of absence from Beloit College and traveled to Maine where he assisted Clark Fitzgerald with the construction of three large sculptures. This became the genesis for his decision in 1961 to give up his teaching position to embark on a solo art career as a sculptor.

Shaffer was born and raised in Princeton. As a student at Beloit College, Shaffer majored not only in art but also in biology and speech. He excelled in drawing and painting and was a competitive wrestler. He loved working in three'dimensions and began experimenting with a welding torch, learning how to translate ideas into sculpture.

According to one of his exhibit reviews, "Metal and pen give way to endless shapes in the hands of this artist. Shaffer welds sculptures of boundless dimension, drawing upon man and nature for his subjects."

For many years, Shaffer sculpted in his rural Clinton, Wis. studio and now works from his studio in an old cow barn at this home in Princeton. Most of his work is in metal, such as steel and steel brass, and is welded or cast. He also has worked in wood mosaic and cast concrete, including a mural in the concrete sculpture for the face of the UWN Union. Shaffer makes pieces out of melted metal by heating steel until it flows.