MARY D. OTT

About the Artist

Before her art career, Mary earned a Master of Science in physics and a PhD in education at the University of Chicago. She spent two decades developing physics courses, teaching and researching at Cornell University and later at the University of Maryland. In 1991, Mary transitioned from the academic world to the art world. She began her art career by taking painting classes at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia. She has pursued both painting and printmaking since 1996.

Mary has developed a style of abstract painting that comprises squiggly lines on a color field. She uses strands of embroidery yarn to apply the acrylic paint on the canvas. Some of these lines are vertical, some are diagonal. Some paintings resemble fields of grass or other natural subjects but most of her paintings are nonrepresentational.

Mary’s print media include intaglio, lithography, screen printing, and photogravure. These are based on digital photos that she adjusts to obtain a subtle interplay of light and dark. Mary also prints monotypes, many of which are created using dried ornamental grass as stencils.

Mary joined Touchstone Gallery in 2001. She will have her final solo show at Touchstone–a retrospective– from January - February 16, 2026. Her most recent solo exhibitions at Touchstone include: Nature’s Bounty (2023), Branching Out (2019), and Metallics (2017)