Current
Seacliff: Beach and Bluff
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Opening Reception April 20th, 2024 4pm-6pm Show runs from - April 20th, 2024 - June 08th, 2024 |
(Click above image for press kit)
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Artist - James McDonald
Statement
Seacliff state park located in Santa Cruz, central California, is the focus of these paintings. Two distinct approaches are used in the painting of the beach side of the park, as opposed to the bluff side.
The larger sized paintings of the beach were the happy result of experimenting in PhotoShop. I thought the blue of the California sky was too blue to be believable, so in an effort to find just the right blue, a series of uniquely views appeared. Some darker, some lighter, all with a slightly psychedelic feel. Sort of Peter Max meets Claude Monet.
The smaller paintings of the bluff are much more representative in feel, in fact are attempts of rendering an plein aire feel.
I feel the contrast brings out the best of both.
The larger sized paintings of the beach were the happy result of experimenting in PhotoShop. I thought the blue of the California sky was too blue to be believable, so in an effort to find just the right blue, a series of uniquely views appeared. Some darker, some lighter, all with a slightly psychedelic feel. Sort of Peter Max meets Claude Monet.
The smaller paintings of the bluff are much more representative in feel, in fact are attempts of rendering an plein aire feel.
I feel the contrast brings out the best of both.
Biography
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James McDonald graduated from MICA in 1979, earning a BFA in Graphic Design with Honors. Computer generated art kept food on the table, but it was no substitute for the real time feel of paint on canvas, the smell, the texture, the gradual realization of a landscape coming together or from seeing the human revealed in a portrait.
His earlier painting series relied heavily on photos he took specifically for their painting potential. These paintings found welcomed venues in restaurants throughout Baltimore. His Brazilian seascapes were shown at Simon’s in Butcher Hill, paintings of Curtis Bay warehouses shown and sold at the Chameleon in Hamilton, a summer long exhibit at the Bistro Rx in Highlandtown, to name a few. His work was accepted at five different juried shows at the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis. A solo exhibition at the Antreasian Gallery in Hampden was a highlight in his painting career. James was an active member of the Hamilton Gallery for several years. A representative painter, James McDonald works with both oil and watercolors. Recently, Mr. McDonald has taken on plein aire painting, which provides an extreme contrast to the deliberate pace of studio painting. A brief membership with MID-ATLANTIC PLEIN AIR PAINTERS ASSOCIATION prior to COVID and its Mt. Royal competition gave Mr. McDonald a good avenue to explore this approach to painting. Since then Mr. McDonald has competed in several Quick Draw events, where the time limit to complete a painting is two hours. Mr.McDonald considers himself a complete painter, working in multiple mediums, covering an unlimited scope of subject matter, in a variety of time formats. |
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jsm239/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/james.mcdonald.378537