Breadth
Drawing
Drawings are like handwriting: each mark made by the artist bears its unique character and is virtually impossible to counterfeit. The tremor of a hesitant thought shows in a drawn line, as does the bold bravado of perfect confidence. Almost nothing springs from our imagination to become a reality without first going through the medium of drawing: think of your own ideas, captured on the back of a napkin, roughly diagramed. A sculptor can “draw’ in clay, but when he chooses to draw on paper, we gain a different avenue into his thoughts and feelings.
Pillows 1996
Reverie
Study for Nureyev Monument 2000
Study of Young Dancer 2009
Tambourine Man III
Breadth
Drawing
Drawings are like handwriting: each mark made by the artist bears its unique character and is virtually impossible to counterfeit. The tremor of a hesitant thought shows in a drawn line, as does the bold bravado of perfect confidence. Almost nothing springs from our imagination to become a reality without first going through the medium of drawing: think of your own ideas, captured on the back of a napkin, roughly diagramed. A sculptor can “draw’ in clay, but when he chooses to draw on paper, we gain a different avenue into his thoughts and feelings.
The Artist's Touch
Richard MacDonald’s method of working by directly observing a living model is becoming increasingly rare amongst artists of our time. Developing the sensitivity and facility to watch a person in motion and capture anatomy, movement, mood, and personality in clay is an extraordinarily complex and demanding task, yet the quality of the work speaks to the vitality, energy, and power made possible by this experience.