Event
thick, hazy, cleer, blew
Shona Macdonald
Real Art Ways presents thick, hazy, cleer, blew, a solo exhibition by Shona Macdonald.
thick, hazy, cleer, blew explores the effects of weather as ephemeral, mundane records of our daily lives. In addition to weather and forecasts, these three bodies of work explore the atmosphere and atmospheric perspective.
‘The Vapors so Whiten’ series pulls imagery out of layers of dusty pigment applied to toned paper. Small in scale, these works depict either cars driving in and out of visibility on roads with no beginning or end. With no points of reference, it is often uncertain in which direction the vehicles are heading. In the ‘Car, Eyes’ series, floating cars bob amidst unidentified bodies of water; adrift, they are rendered useless. The third series, ‘Blow In’ suggests images of laundry, flags, and leaves, all being buffeted by the effects of wind.
Macdonald engages with qualities of atmosphere through slow and muted approaches. The laborious, hand-made nature of her work leads to a more embodied experience of what the weather means and how it affects us physically and imaginatively while the indecipherable atmosphere she conjures from multiple layers of pencil marks coupled with hazy imagery leads, ultimately, to a kind of disorienting opacity.
About the Artist
Shona Macdonald was born in Scotland and currently lives in Western Massachusetts. Selected solo exhibitions include McDonough Museum of Art, (2023), Zillman Art Museum, (2020-21), Brattleboro Art Center and Museum (2018), Roswell Art Museum, (2011), Tarble Arts Center (2015), Gridspace, (2014) Engine Room, Wellington, New Zealand, (2010), Proof Gallery, Boston, MA (2009), Reeves Contemporary, NY, NY (2008), Den Contemporary, LA, CA, (2007) and Galerie Refugium, Berlin, Germany, (2002.) Two person exhibitions include the Ballina Art Center, Ireland (2022), Dayton Art Center (2018,) and Linden Sculpture Garden (2012.) She has shown in over 100 group exhibitions across the United States, UK, Australia, and Canada. Reviews of her work include Art in America, Art News, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Sacramento Bee, and Boston Globe. She has been an invited Visiting Artist at over fifty institutions, including The University of Wyoming (2023), Georgia State University (2007), the University of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, Canada, (both 2002). Shona Macdonald is a 2009 recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation award. Selected artist residencies include UCross, Ragdale, VCCA, Roswell, Kimmel Harding Nelson, and internationally, at Can Serrat, Spain, Ballinglen and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, both Ireland.
