Shari Osti was born in Burlington, Iowa and now resides in Seattle, Washington. Graduating from Syracuse University with a BFA in Sculpture and Textile Design, she also studied in London and later attended the University of Iowa as a graduate student in sculpture. She then moved to Los Angeles, California, where she worked in textile design. During this time she took up printmaking, specifically monoprinting, and quickly developed her spontaneous technique.
Shari says of her work: “From an early age I was inspired by changing landscapes in the Anirondacks. I was exposed to the natural beauty of the mountains and lakes. Colour and light play such a large part in my work. I play with the energy of light.”
Osti considers her work as contemporary nature based abstract monotypes. She feels any image found in nature is, upon close examination and inspection, an abstract. Compulsive saving of found objects leads to future work where infinite patterns and lines and colours and shapes are explored. Focusing on the idea that her work evolves into a multi-layered exploration of both image and process rather than a structured rendition of a concept, she deals both with the details of nature as well as the printing process to achieve her goal.
Osti works in monoprints because they parallel the layers in nature; each one is made up of different layers, every layer is a surprise, she finds interest in this idea. Osti states, “My art is peeling off layers and getting to the soul of an image. Successive viewings reveal an evolution of both the creative process and the printing process.”
Osti attempts to bring three dimensional elements to two dimensional work. Space plays a significant role in her work. Sculpture is about space and Osti tries to put sculpture down on paper. Concentrating on the close up of forms, she views the shapes of the space and the patterns. This becomes the essence of her images.
For Osti, each image is an abstract; negative space, lights and darks, patterns and colours. Her work is fun and lively; filled with a childlike spontaneity and a sophisticated passion simultaneously.
