Sheila Keefe Ortiz draws inspiration from nature, figure, and still life. She explores expression of universal themes around origins, artifacts, and memories. Sheila made her home in many places over the years: Chelsea, Massachusetts, a small city next to Boston, where she was born and raised, Venezuela for three years, Vermont, New Jersey, Idaho, North Carolina, and Upstate New York. Sheila acquired a Dual Major in Studio Art and Art History, and her Masters in Art Education, at Mansfield University, Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, Sheila taught at the Alternative School for Math and Science, and 171 Cedar Arts Center, in Corning, New York. While living in Corning, Sheila was represented by the West End Gallery in downtown Corning. She exhibited throughout the Finger Lakes Region: West End Gallery, 171 Cedar Arts Center, Atrium Gallery in Corning Community College, Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes, State of the Art Gallery, in Ithaca, Southern Tier Biennial Juried Art Show, in Jamestown, Community College Center Gallery, Olean, and Gmeiner Cultural Center in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. Presently she lives in Wilmington, North Carolina and exhibits her work throughout the region.