O. V. Shaffer continues to create and work in his studio, a converted cow barn in his hometown of Princeton, IL. For most of his career, Shaffer sculptured in the rural community of Clinton, WI. His artwork consists of steel and brass, welded or cast, and wood and cast concrete. Shaffer has exhibited throughout the Midwest with major commissions in Maine, Florida, Wisconsin, Utah and Illinois. He won the Governor’s Award in the Arts in Wisconsin in 1970. He was an early Arts/Industry artist in residence at Kohler Co., where he was allowed access to the foundry. Shaffer also taught at Beloit College.

Shaffer gifted a collection of his own sculptures and drawings to Kohler Foundation in 2012. Kohler Foundation preservation technicians have carefully cataloged, photographed and cleaned the collection. The artwork has found a home at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.