Mary D. Ott
Bouquets of Grasses
(Monotypes)
February 6 – April 8, 2012
Bouquet of Grass by Mary D. Ott
Silver Grass IV by Mary D. Ott
Artist Statement ---Mary D. Ott
A Silver Spring resident, Mary has studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design under some of the best printmakers in the area: Georgia Deal, Susan Goldman, Elizabeth Klimek and Dennis O’Neil.
Her April 2011 exhibit “Grasses” at Touchstone Gallery in Washington, DC received a very favorable review in the Washington Post (April 29, 2011):
“… Mary D. Ott’s prints of wild grasses … present their subjects in manageable sizes and formats, and emphasize craft over conceptualism.
Ott uses dried ornamental grasses as the motifs for monotypes … that showcase color as much as form. Some prints show wispy shapes on white backgrounds, while others frame the grass’s fragile outlines in reverse and are primarily blocks of bold colors, including reds and red-browns. ….
Ott’s prints suggest traditional Asian art, and some of them are printed on Japanese kochi or Thai unryu paper, adding vegetable textures to the images of vegetation. The pieces are beautifully made and unapologetically decorative. This work may perform merely the gentlest of twists on its natural inspirations, but it does so with skill and grace.”
At Brookside Gardens, Mary will exhibit monotypes (one-of-a-kind prints) from the series “Bouquet of Grasses” and “Silver Grass.”
Montgomery County Department of Parks