Donna McGee – February 5th, 2015

Downtown Gallery Crawl, Thursday, February 5, 2015: Celebrate Love, Mardi Gras and Art!

It’s the first Thursday again, in an even month, and that means it’s time for ART in downtown Monroe and West Monroe. And this February 5^th unites lots of reasons to celebrate, with both Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras coming up soon.

Festivities include good food and drink, along with live music and wonderful local art, as the Downtown Arts Alliance presents another Downtown Gallery Crawl, with ten galleries participating from 5-9 pm. Original art will be for sale tax free since the galleries are within the cultural district—another reason to celebrate!

MAD Gallery on Art Alley is a good place to start. This month’s guest artist is familiar to many as she has taught in Grambling University’s Art Department for over 20 years. Donna McGee will present recently created paintings depicting natural subjects such as dragonflies. Gallery owners Mark Alan Dooley and Leesa Patterson are looking forward to McGee’s show, which depicts the “rhythms of nature’s energy, growth and change.” MAD Gallery is also known for its tasty refreshments and live music by Gray Matter.

Woodlands, Wild Places and Lesser Creatures

Donna McGee

Artist’s Statement

As a hiker and amateur naturalist I am concerned with protection and preservation of woodlands, wild places, and the lesser creatures that share our world. In my work I seek to evoke sentiment for and fascination with the outdoors. Humans occupy a minute space on the continuum of the universe. Dragonflies have existed for millions of years, longer even than birds. I believe that through appreciation and understanding of the processes of nature we gain understanding of ourselves and our true place in nature’s hierarchy.

I spend a lot of time working directly from nature in plain air. The knowledge gained in direct experience of nature influences my studio work. This show is a fusion of what I have seen, what I have experienced and how I feel. I try to paint what is in my heart and my spirit as much as what I see. The tension of contrasts; light vs. dark, warm vs. cool, control vs. freedom are recurring themes in my work. My approach to composition involves creating connections that move the viewer through the work. I use repetition of lines and shapes to create rhythm and energy that move visually throughout the works. This rhythmic energy is symbolic of nature’s energy, growth and change.