Amanda Oechsle

Amanda Oechsle was born in Great Falls, Montana and moved to Utah when she was three years old. She now lives and works in Salt Lake City. She currently attends University of Utah and is a candidate for a Bachelors of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Sculpture Intermedia. In addition, she is fulfilling the pre-medical requirements with the intention of going to medical school to become a neurosurgeon.

Oechsle has shown work for the University of Utah, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and currently has work at the Pebbles and Twigs Art Gallery in Salt Lake City. She has been electronically published on the Daily Utah Chronicle and the Artists of Utah’s 15 Bytes. She has a work that is part of Central Davis Junior High private collection in Layton, Utah and acts as the Treasurer for the newly formed University of Utah Sculpture Club.

Oechsle works mainly in sculpture and installation and enjoys working with multiples to create her pieces. She works with paper and other craft materials because of the familiar and playful aesthetic they can create. She wants the viewer to experience the fun and joy she feels while making her pieces.

Artist Statement
Ever since I can remember I have enjoyed science and art. My work tends to focus on a fusion between bits of these things, which include fashion, medicine, and crafts. While I thoroughly enjoy the simplicity, structure and logic that go into basic forms and color, I cannot help feel enamored with all forms of embellishment.

The use of multiples is prevalent in my work. I focus on the process of mastering the fabrication of one object and then making tens or even hundreds of them. The meditative quality of the process becomes an important aspect of expanding the use of simple forms to become larger scales of embellishment. I often choose craft materials such as paper, fabric, found objects and glitter. I am drawn to using craft materials because they are familiar and they have transformed into how I make art now. I choose these materials because they are playful and represent the everyday while connecting to a wide audience.

By using crafty materials I also make fashion-inspired sculptures and pieces that lean towards wearable art. To me, it is interesting to play with different ways to cover the human body while simultaneously learning about how the body works on the inside through other means of study. So far, these connections between craft, fashion and science have not been made particularly obvious to the viewer, but that is something I will continue to think about and push for future work.

I want my work to be able to create a playful and entertaining experience for the viewer. My pieces are intended to be very lighthearted and fun. Making the things I do is very fun for me, it fills me with joy and this joy is what I want for the viewer as well.