MARIAN OSHER

However, just ten months before ART*SPARKS, my 2012 solo exhibition at Washington Printmakers Gallery, was set to open, I suffered from a case of the dreaded Creative Block! Thankfully, help finally came from a Yoga “aha” realization. When I overload my creativity, it’s like hyperventilating—not enough comes in to allow the energy to flow out. My Yoga instructor taught me to focus on the breath, breathing slowly and deeply, in and out. Creativity also has to be natural, and it can’t be forced or rushed. Making this connection removed the pressure and anxiety and I was able to restart my creative flow.

ART*SPARKS has led to an expansion of the way that I work with printmaking. I like the intimacy of viewing the art surface directly, without glass barriers or frames. I decided to cut apart my monotypes to make multiple levels, mounted on canvas. By painting each canvas with colors related to the monotype, I extended the creative process. In addition, I made a series of free form relief monotypes on sculpted canvas. Through research, I found an archival means to preserve my printmaking without glass.

Biography

Marian Osher is a printmaker, painter, mixed-media artist and private art teacher. She has exhibited extensively in both New York City and the Washington, DC area, as well as abroad. Multiple volunteer experiences in the Buffalo Field Campaign not only inspired artwork about the Yellowstone Buffalo, but also provided inspiration for several shows highlighting environmental issues. Other solo shows focused on kaleidoscopic images and music, and mandalas about the universal connections of diverse cultures. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Museum of Modern Art (Buenos Aires, Argentina), among others. She is represented by Washington Printmakers Gallery in Washington, DC, Ceres Gallery in New York, NY, and Philip Morton Gallery, Rehoboth, DE.