Touchstone Presents Grasses and Nests with a Twist

Two new shows open tonight (April 1) at Touchstone Gallery with a reception from 6 to 8:30. One show is entitled Grasses and features works by Mary D. Ott; the other show is entitled Nests with a Twist and features works by Janet Wheeler. Both shows run through May 1, and there will be an artist talk, coffee and cake for both on Sunday April 10, from 2-4 pm.

From the Grasses press release:

Wide Grass by Mary D. Ott

This exhibit of original hand-pulled prints—etchings, screenprints, monotypes, and mixed-media prints—comprises diverse images with grasses as their theme. Ott’s etching "Wide Grass" is seen in a number of variations, including single images, multiple images, and combinations of a number of prints in hanging cascades. The etching "Grass Bouquet" is combined with screenprinting to create mixed-media prints. Monotypes (one-of-a-kind prints) that are part of Ott’s series ―Bouquet of Grasses are displayed in an array that highlights their bright and contrasting colors. The prints are all variations on the theme of grasses.

From the Nests with a Twist press release:

Nest XIII by Janet Wheeler

Nature's endless cycle of renewal depicted through these Nests… With a Twist!

The pieces in this new series of nests absolutely do not evoke a reaction of "awww what a cute little nest." There is clearly something "off" about each one of them. Eggs and bones do not suggest a cozy breakfast! And why is there an uber-egg sitting atop a box of smaller eggs? These are the
newest works in Janet Wheeler s ongoing Spirit Box series.

Wheeler's spirit boxes induce an assumption of something sacramental and ritual, of objects untroubled by time, relics of some long vanished civilization. As nature always plays a major role in cultures, from the earliest to the present with the images of animals and birds in almost every sacred object, so too in Wheeler's pantheon.

In this body of work she focuses on nature's endless cycle of renewal
through her mysterious and ambiguous nests.

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787