FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 10, 2025

Edward M. O’Hara

Echoes of Grass
New Works on Paper

Opening Reception:
Sunday, May 4th, 2025, 3-5pm

GARNERVILLE – GARNER Arts Center is pleased to present this new series by abstract painter, Edward M. O’Hara for a solo exhibition in its Ned Harris Gallery at Building 35. By using the earth as his brush, O’Hara’s new series breaks free from studio restraints while capturing the beauty, motion and ephemeral fragility of nature. The artist creates these works in the fields of his farm in Highland NY. After applying paint directly to the wind-blown grasses, he repeatedly presses paper with his hands and feet onto the grassy surfaces. When the paper is peeled away, bold, energetic, fractal patterns are revealed, patterns that are mirrored throughout nature - in ocean waves, sand dunes, and wispy clouds. For O’Hara, the process feels raw, intimate, honest and connects him to the universe in ways he never anticipated.

This exhibition will run during GARNER Arts Festival, to be held on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 in GARNER’s home, the 14-acre GARNER Historic District complex in Garnerville, NY. A solo multi-disciplinary exhibition by Franc Palaia will run concurrently with this exhibition in Building 35’s adjoining Main Gallery exhibition space.

This new series also raises several important questions for O’Hara:
• Are these works impressions of nature, or nature's impressions?
• Are these marks Jackson Pollock's 'happy accidents', Gerhard Richter's 'collaborations with chance’, or simply the inherent perfection of nature?
• Are they realism or abstraction?
• Is this painting or printing?
• Are they landscapes, is this plein air?
• And ultimately, who is the artist?

For the artist, Echoes of Grass recalls the Romanticism of the pre-industrial era, when artists believed that art should reconnect us with nature, express freedom of form, and stir emotion. In contrast, today’s digital revolution, led by AI, alters how we experience art and challenges our understanding of creativity, agency, and connection to the natural world. O’Hara believes it’s essential that we return to nature in some way—to feel the vibration of the earth and immerse ourselves in that living, breathing harmony.

Environmental Impact
These works are created on a carefully maintained section of the farm, using water-based paints and inks on dense grasses that help protect the soil. The artist presses the paper gently with hands and feet, ensuring the roots remain intact for future regeneration. Once the artwork is complete, the grass tops are trimmed and responsibly stored in a designated natural refuse area on the property.

Edward M. O’Hara is an abstract painter based in Highland, NY. His dynamic, multi-layered works explore themes of cosmic origins and the interplay of graphic and abstract forms. Born in New York City, O’Hara studied art at CUNY Queens College and the Art Students League. His works have been showcased in venues such as ArtSpace in New Haven, CT; Roost Arts Hudson Valley in New Paltz, NY; and the Highland Open Studio Tour. In the Spring of 2024 O’Hara had a solo exhibition, Origins, at Wired Gallery in High Falls, NY. In January of 2025, O’Hara was part of the 9W Artists group show entitled ‘While You Were Out’ at The Lace Mill Gallery in Kingston, NY. His paintings and drawings are exclusively highlighted in the forthcoming book of poetry STRIDES, by Laurence Carr, published by Lightwood Press. In addition to his upcoming ‘Echoes of Grass’ exhibition at the GARNER Arts Center in the Spring of 2025, He also is set for a solo exhibition at the Lagstein Gallery in Nyack, NY.

You’re invited:

School and community groups are invited to schedule a special tour of the exhibition with the artist or curator. Please call Jesse Heffler at (845) 947-7108 for more information.

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Edward M. O’Hara
Echoes of Grass
New Works on Paper

Exhibition Run: May 3 – June 15
Opening Reception: Sunday, May 4, 3-5PM

Gallery Hours: Fridays, 2-5PM, Saturdays and Sundays 1-5PM

WHERE: The Main Gallery at Building 35, GARNER Arts Center
ADDRESS: GARNER Historic District, 55 West Railroad Avenue, Garnerville, NY 10923
CONTACT: Jesse Heffler, Programs & Operations Director, (845) 947-7108;  jesse@garnerartscenter.org

FOR APPOINTMENTS: (845) 947-7108 / info@garnerartscenter.org
https://garnerartscenter.org/exhibitions

For High-Resolution images and further information, please contact:
Jesse Heffler, Programs & Operations Director, (845) 947-7108; jesse@garnerartscenter.org

About GARNER Arts Center:
Mission

GARNER Arts Center is an interdisciplinary arts center that advances the creation and presentation of contemporary, experiential art within a repurposed 19th-century textile mill complex. By providing access to a wide range of art forms, the organization strives to enrich, educate, and connect diverse audiences. GARNER Arts Center is committed to igniting and realizing artistic ideas that emerge as a response to societal, economic, historic and environmental stimuli.

 Vision
GARNER Arts Center’s vision is an enduring and inclusive artisan settlement that fosters a thriving arts, business, and cultural district, and encourages collaboration between makers and the creative sector. GARNER seeks to be a catalyst for just and sustainable economic growth in its Hudson Valley host community.

GARNER Arts Center is a tax-deductible 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

GARNER Arts Center – Social Media:
Facebook & Instagram: @garnerartscenter

FOR PRESS:
Support for GARNER Arts Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Rockland County Tourism, The Village of West Haverstraw, The Town of Haverstraw, and Taylor, Inc. Special thanks to the GARNER Historic District.

SUPPORT: