Artist Statement
As someone who lives with a Traumatic Brain Injury, words are sometimes extremely difficult to find. Yet I can express my exact thoughts and emotions in what I chose to create. This is probably why I do not stick to one specific type of medium, as my brain is constantly spinning, along with my emotions, so I keep my options open.
Art is not just something beautiful for me to make, to place on a wall. It has become a healing form of communication between me and the viewer. My “disability” has become my muse, my mentor, which has allowed for this ever-evolving style of contemporary abstract expressionism I never knew I could create
Artist Bio
Loretta Oberheim is an award-winning artist from Long Island, New York, who is well known for her mixed media sculptors and highly texturized artwork. Loretta received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, specializing in Textile/Surface Design, from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2006. She had a successful career in the high-end floor-covering industry until February 2020. Her dream career ended due to a rare genetic disease.
While the world shut down, Loretta worked hard to blossom. She began experimenting with new ways to fill her time and utilize her years of knowledge in carpet design and business development. Loretta began manipulating different materials with heat to form organic shapes and structures, many of which reminded her of the textiles she was trained to weave.
This experimentation led her to be featured on TLC's hit show "Unpolished" . But it didn't end there for Loretta. Her love for thinking outside of the box continued. Loretta was determined to go bigger with her pieces and find new ways to expand on her sculptures by introducing new tactile materials.
Oberheim's work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in Geoje, South Korea, the Belskie Museum of Art in New Jersey, Tortuga Gallery in New Mexico, Museum of Contemporary Arts Long Island, Mills Pond Gallery, bj Spoke Gallery, and One Art Space Gallery in New York.
Loretta now spends her time at her home studio in Ronkonkoma, New York with her trusty assistant/supervisor, Winston (the French Bulldog).
Contact
I'm always open for new and exciting opportunities to discuss my art and why I create. Let's connect.