PT artist explores ‘One Hundred Days of Solitude’ in moody letterpress prints

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For Port Townsend artist Mary O’Shaughnessy the world is flat.

Her vision, however, is multilayered.

Because despite being blind in one eye and possessing virtually no depth perception, O’Shaughnessy’s mixed media work is characterized by levels and contrasts. And her latest series, “One Hundred Days of Solitude,” atmospheric photopolymer letterpress prints inspired in equal part by the work of Japanese artist Hiroshige and the surreal quiet of quarantine-era Port Townsend, is no exception.

“I see the world flat, like a photograph,” she said. “[Which] makes it easier for composition.”

The compositions collected in “One Hundred Days of Solitude,” on display at the Port Townsend School of the Arts’ Grover Gallery through the end of December, began life as photos but were transformed by O’Shaughnessy into something more like paintings. Moody and monochromatic images meant to convey the silence and isolation she found during early morning walks with her dog around town in the early days of the pandemic.

“We are so assaulted every day with so many things — too many colors, too much, of course the election and all the other stuff that goes with it — that it’s kind of nice every so often to be able to stop and look,” O’Shaughnessy said.

“I want to have this sense of serenity and beauty that goes along with contemplation.”

Except for her dog, the artist found herself primarily alone on her early morning walks. But the photos quickly found an audience.

“No one else went out in the morning, I was going out at six in the morning and walking around,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Every day I would post pictures on Facebook and some people, who were really staying home and were terrified, were saying ‘Thank you!’ They looked forward to my photographs everyday.”

Back in her studio, O’Shaughnessy brought old and new worlds together, technology both classic and current, to create her distinctive prints.

First, she selects an ideal picture and adjusts the levels, brightness and contrast digitally in Photoshop. She then exposes light-sensitive photopolymer plates to the photographic negatives, finally inking and printing the images on her 100-year-old Vandercook press on Rives BFK printmaking paper.

“While you print, you watch to see when you need to add more ink to keep the density consistent,” O’Shaughnessy said.

The end result is deceptively simple, and that’s half the point.

“Because of what we’re going through right now with the pandemic I just wanted to bring it down to the essence of what we see,” O’Shaughnessy said.

With degrees in set design, interior design and architecture, O’Shaughnessy, along with her husband, ran a commercial gallery in Chicago for more than a decade before dedicating herself fully to her own art career.

Moving to Port Townsend in 2014 informed and altered O’Shaughnessy’s art.

“The long view over the water, the mountains’ ever-changing images and the textures of the forests all have made me move away from the industrial of city life and embrace the natural,” she said.

In addition to “One Hundred Days of Solitude” (the name a nod to “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez, a novel which the artist said she very much admires) the Grover Gallery has held over November’s show and sale, “One of a Kind,” a collection which features 2D and 3D art, including wearable fashion, fiber arts, ceramics, jewelry, paintings, prints, cards and more, from more than 30 artists.

The gallery is open from 12 to 5 p.m. Thursday to Monday, or by appointment, and is located at
236 Taylor St. in Port Townsend.

Go to www.PtArts.org to enjoy virtual tours, view and purchase the exhibit’s paintings, and browse other gallery offerings.

Visit www.marykoshaughnessy.com to learn more O’Shaughnessy and her work.