About the Work:
Statement
I create free-standing indoor sculptures intended to be viewed from all angles, allowing the drama of their forms to unfold as the viewer moves around them. Defined by soft curves, color, and organic forms, my sculptures balance elegance with a sense of lightness.
I am drawn to the movement and emotional resonance of natural forms as they move through space—whether it’s the swoosh of a cloud, the intertwining of vines, a dancer leaping across a stage, or the simple gesture of someone tilting their head in conversation.
Working without a predetermined plan, I begin by drawing in space with my armature materials, and each line drawn is an emotional response to the one before it. My primary concern is maintaining a continuum of expression, wherever I pause. Much of my time is spent building the armature, which, once completed, closely resembles the final form.
I then apply thin layers of my concrete mix, a recipe given to me by an engineer involved in bridge building. This allows my sculptures to be structurally strong while remaining manageable in weight. Once sanded, their smooth surfaces are either painted or finished with decorative concrete, resulting in a soft matte or satin finish.
Though my work is non-representational, I believe it is the human emotional quality of the forms that resonates with viewers. In a world that often feels fast, chaotic, and harsh, I feel I have succeeded if my work offers a moment of positivity, respite, and calm—the same feeling I experience when a sculpture has reached a successful completion.
Bio
Born in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1953, Oros earned a BFA in Sculpture from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1977 and studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1975. Her work has been exhibited at the de Young Open 2023, Marin MOCA, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Grounds For Sculpture, and numerous other venues. She received the Agnes Gund Award from the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Purchase Prize at Skowhegan, and in 2022 received Third Place in the 81st Crocker-Kingsley Exhibition. Her work is included in the permanent collection of Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, as well as several notable private collections. Oros currently lives and works in Benicia, California.
SOLO EXHIBITION
2003 Atrium 505 Sansome Street,“Sculpture by Mary Oros,” San Francisco, CA
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Epperson Gallery, “Seeing Red”, Crockett, CA
2026 Pamela Walsh Gallery, “Acts of Making”, Palo Alto, CA
2026 Pence Gallery, “Slice”, Davis, CA
2026 Arts Benicia, “Making Your Mark”, Benicia, CA
2026 Epperson Gallery, “From the Heart”, Crockett, CA
2024 Arts Benicia, “Exploring Monochromatic”, Benicia, CA
2024 NY2CA Gallery, “Gestural Space”: Mary Oros & Paula Boas , Benicia, CA
2023 The deYoung Museum, “The deYoung Open 2023”, San Francisco, CA
2023 Marin MOCA, “There Is Magic Here”, Novato, CA
2023 Desta Gallery, “Rooted In Wonder”, Mill Valley, CA
2023 Desta Gallery, “Capturing the Ephemeral Beauty”, Mill Valley, CA
2022 di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, “True North”, Napa, CA
2022 Blue Line Arts, “Crocker/Kingsley”, Roseville, CA
2022 Gallery 825, “Open Show”, Los Angeles, CA
2022 Epperson Gallery, “On The Strait”, Crockett, CA
2022 Art Market San Francisco, Desta Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
2022 Desta Gallery, “Solace”, Mill Valley, CA
2021 Marin MOCA, “ConVERGEnce”, Novato, CA
2021 Desta Gallery, “Shifting Directions”, Mill Valley, CA
2021 The Visionary Art Projects (NY, NY), virtual exhibition: “ The Era of Change”
2020 Desta Gallery, “Beyond”, Mill Valley, CA
2019 Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery’s JP@The Bank, “Tahoe Blue” show, Lafayette, CA
2018 Coda Gallery, "New Artist Group Show", Palm Desert, CA
2018 Art San Diego, Booth #317, Wyland Center, Del Mar, CA
2014 Gallery 621, "Guests of the Gallery", Benicia, CA
2012 Gallery 621, "From the Arsenal and Beyond", Benicia, CA
2010 Sacramento State University Library Gallery, “As They See It”, Sacramento, CA
2008 Arts Benicia Gallery, “Affinities and Variations,” Mary Oros & William Harsh, Benicia, C A
2008 A New Leaf Gallery, “Spring Show,” Sonoma, CA
2007 Arts Benicia Gallery, “Art of a Community,” Benicia, CA
2006 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2005 Grounds For Sculpture, “New Additions Outdoors, Spring/Summer,” Hamilton, NJ
2004 Grounds For Sculpture, “Off The Rim: Pacific Rim Sculptors,” Hamilton, NJ
2004 Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, Winter Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2004 Taking The Leap Group Exhibition, Emeryville, CA
2003 Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, Fall Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
2003 Pacific Rim Sculptors Group, Summer Exhibition, San Francisco, CA
EDUCATION
1977 Cleveland Institute of Art, BFA Sculpture
1975 Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture
PUBLICATIONS
December 2022, Artiste Culture Online Blog, ‘5 Sculptors Who Are Redefining Sculpting’
May 2017, Benicia Magazine ,'Concrete Couture' - A Fitting Description for Artist Mary Oros' Work’
AWARDS
2026 Honorable Mention, Epperson Gallery “From the Heart” exhibit
2023 Honorable Mention, Sheridan Prize, San Francisco Bay Area
2022 81st Crocker Kingsley Exhibition, 3rd Place Award
2021 Honorable Mention, Marin MOCA “ConVERGEnce” exhibit
1977 Agnes Gund Award, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
1975 Purchase Prize, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
PUBLIC COLLECTION
Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Medivation, San Francisco, CA
Mrs. Suzanne Narducci, Los Gatos, CA
Marcia Barrow Taylor, Lafayette, CA
Dan Jensen & Gene Doherty, Benicia, CA