May 2019 Exhibitions at Touchstone Gallery

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Opening Reception: Friday, May 3 from 6pm to 8:30pm

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Meet the Artist: Saturday, May 18, 1-3pm with an Artist Talk at 1pm

GALLERY A
Touchstone Gallery Member Show

GALLERY B
Portraits Only by Paula Lantz
Touchstone Gallery is excited to present Paula Lantz’s solo show Portraits Only, a psychological investigation of the structure of the human psyche.

Deploying a frenzy of bold colors and collaged textures, Lantz’s abstracted figures evoke tension from her subliminal
experiences in the figures’ lives. The figures’ expressions convey universal feelings: love, hate, jealousy, happiness, sorrow and desire, an invigorating mix reflecting the human condition.

Her attention to the qualities of simple forms, marks, paint and collage effect vigorous energy, cohesiveness and impact. The abstract qualities of the painted and collaged surface evoke wildness and distraction. Lantz’s art continues to evolve through abstraction, helping to visually approach complexities and chaos in today’s world.

Drawing, layers of paint and collage are used as metaphor to our life experiences. The use of color as energy reflects and responds to the chaos in our lives. Together they provide visual cohesiveness and impact.

As Mark Rothko said, “I’m not interested in the relationships of color or anything else….I’m interested in expressing basic emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.”

GALLERY C
Branching Out: Original Prints by Mary D. Ott
Touchstone Gallery is excited to present Mary D. Ott’s solo show Branching Out: Original Prints. The exhibit features hand-pulled prints that celebrate natural arboreal beauty. Much of Ott’s previous work comprises figurative and abstract prints that capture the subtle beauty of grasses. Her current interests “branch out” to focus on the intricacies of trees, leaves and landscapes.

Among the print media employed by Ott are intaglio etching and dry point—the design is etched or scratched onto a metal plate—and paper plate or polyester plate lithography in which the image to be printed is created on paper or polyester surfaces. For both intaglio prints and lithographs, the plates are inked and then the images are printed on fine art paper. These artworks, whether black-and-white or color prints, express Ott’s love of nature.

Mary D. Ott has been a member of Touchstone Gallery since 2001. A painter and printmaker, she has studied with Washington artist Anne Marchand, at the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and at Montgomery College in Silver Spring, MD.

Gallery Hours:

• Wednesday – Friday: 11pm to 6pm
• Saturday – Sunday: 12pm to 5pm

Touchstone Gallery is located at 901 New York Ave. NW. For more information, visit www.touchstonegallery.com.