Ott attested to being impressed and influenced by eminent artists from many eras and schools of painting including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Willem de Kooning, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Salvador Dalí, and Claude Monet. However he called himself an expressionist. Among the artists who either studied under Ott or were influenced by him were James Frisino,[5] Bruce Herman,[6] James Meyer, Laurie Blum,[7] Mark Brosgol, and Will David.[8]