Hugh McDonnold
Houston, TX
Artist's Statement:
I have the great good fortune of having been able, in my dotage, to return fulltime to the work that is the love of my life. For this, I owe a debt of thanks to many of those close to me who have unselfishly made this possible. You know who you are.
I draw inspiration now, as I always have, from being outside. Standing with my feet touching the ground and nothing overhead I am sometimes struck dumb by the realization that I am clinging to the thin edge of a giant ball that is hurtling and spinning thru space at a velocity and trajectory that I cannot comprehend. I draw to keep from flying off the planet.
I draw and photograph outside a lot. But I work inside in the studio. Beginning the painting, I work quickly in acrylics from a rough pencil sketch building up color as I go, often covering a surface five or six times until it suits me, or until it is completely ruined and has to be trashed. But if I?m lucky I will see something that will work and I know that it will be a picture, often nothing like what I had in mind when I began it. But a picture that didn?t exist before. An image that will speak to a viewer in a new language. Often I use oil paint over the acrylic to complete the painting.
Artist's Bio:
Born in Columbus, Texas, Hugh?s early life was spent riding around the state from town to town, following his Dad, a party chief for an oil exploration crew, until the family finally settled in Houston. After attending Texas Tech and the University of Houston, and serving in the US Marine Corp Reserve, Hugh received his BA degree in Fine Arts from Sam Houston State University. Through 20 years in advertising, three ex-wives and his two sons, Hugh continues the exploration of his art ? from piles of sketch books to stacks of canvasses. Since the mid 1990s, he has focused primarily on his interpretations of what he observes in his walks, bike rides and road trips to all points of the compass. His work has been featured in exhibitions and juried shows throughout Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma and in both corporate and private art collections here and abroad. Hugh currently resides in Houston, with his long time girlfriend, a block from the Menil Collection in the heart of the Museum District.
