"EX-VOTO: A RELIGIOUS OFFERING IN ORDER TO FULFILL A VOW" Keith Achepohl's extraordinary collection of Italian silver ex-voto is comprised of culturally supercharged objects intended for individual spiritual communication with God.  The votive objects are made of silver, tooled and formed 'into a message'. The ex-voto represents a long history of respect and reverence for 'the sacred body' that has over time accumulated new meanings and connections to physical miracles, immortality, and Christian faith.
Achepohl was attracted to the 'little metal objects' when he encountered them first in Venice and began collecting without directly relating them to his own (printmaking) practice. "The act of creating or bringing visual life to an idea is thrilling and why our 'work' place is the greatest refuge we have from the fractious life we sometimes have to endure. That is not work. When I think about the handmade ex-votos I love so much it is to think that they were not 'work' to make either - they were made with love."   
Excerpt from Kate Wagle's book "Keith Achepohl: If It Please You Lord" "Vernacular of The Miraculous", published in connection with Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University exhibition "Keith Achepohl: If It Please You Lord" 2014