Welcome to the Gallery of Donna McGee
Posted in Homepage
Tagged Art Gallery, Art Gallery on Line (random selection), Visual art
Woodland Fall
Woodland Fall - Massy's 10x12" Oil on board
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”
John Muir (1838 – 1914), Scotland / USA
The first walk of the new year through Massy’s Wood, a recreation site, along the Dublin Mountain Trail. The ground was soft and the air was fresh. I photographed this scene with my mobile phone, did some quick sketches, then launched myself into the painting.
Posted in Landscape Paintings, Nature, Fine Art
Tagged Dublin mountains, Irish countryside, Massy's Wood
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When Donna met Donna
Two artistic worlds unite!
When Donna met Donna
In my usual routine, I opened my mail inbox and there staring at me was an announcement that - Donna McGee – was coming to town. Slightly bewildered, I thought, but that’s me!
I read on, and lo and behold there was another Donna McGee from Washington DC . She too was an artist and loves to paint abstract, just as I do. She is a very accomplished artist, see her profile here http://www.foundrygallery.org/artist-list/item/3-donna-k-mcgee.html
Excitement grew and we decided we would meet for coffee in a restaurant in town. Fortunately, I was able to look up Donna on the web and not only could I see her magnificent paintings, I also could see her photo, so I knew who to look for. We had great fun exchanging stories of our familiar worlds.
It was even more fun when I explained to my children, that I was meeting “someone I met over the internet” in town. All was well however when they heard the full story.
Have you had a similar experience?
Posted in Abstract Art, Fine Art
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Making plans !
January Blue or not so Blue
A veil of silence permeates through the house – no sounds of I-phones, I-pads, headphones or telephones, radio nor TV ; just me and the occasional creak and gurgle echoes throughout the house as the shrill winds outside knock on every window and bang on every door, looking for entry.
Christmas has passed along with the ringing in of 2012. Parties attended, old friends reunited, waistlines expanded, all now absorbed in one big fading but happy memory.
And so it is Monday morning! My family are housed where they are destined to be – work, college or school. And then, there’s me here in my studio, filled with these passing thoughts; one hundred paintings in my head and several hundred reference photos begging to be explored.
How exciting and daunting all at the same time! Here goes!
Happy New Year everyone!
Posted in Fine Art, Lifestyle
Tagged Christmas, Holidays, New Year, Telephone, Television
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Making it all affordable!
Tired of listening to all this talk of recession and budget restraints:
Here is what I have been doing:
Miniature Landscape Series 1
Miniature Landscape Series 2
Miniature Landscape Series 3
Miniature Landscape Series 4
Miniature Landscape Series 5
Miniature Landscape Series 6
The above are a selection of some of the miniature paintings I have been working on, all inspired from regular walks through the Dublin and Wicklow mountain ranges, which are in easy reach of where I live.
They are all oil paintings on canvas and range in price from €75 – €100 which I think makes buying original art affordable!
What do you think?
Posted in Fine Art, Landscape Paintings
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The Fruit Seller and Cambodian Culinary Delights
Having just returned from a truly amazing trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, I would like to invite you to share with me some of the magic that we encountered along the way.
We arrived In Siem Reap, Cambodia which is the base for exploring the fabled temples of Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire. We then travelled a five-hour journey by road to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Along the way, we saw countless paddy fields, water buffalo, cows and houses built on stilts to protect the homes in the rainy season.
Phnom Penh is said to be undergoing a modern renaissance and it was a stark contrast to the quiet country life we encountered along the road. Steeped in charm, beauty and a rich culture of ancient Khmer history, its people smile with a gentleness that appears unbowed by the wars, genocide and poverty that has besieged their country.
- The Fruit Seller – Oil on Board 18 x 23″
This is my first painting reflecting my travels.
It is so commonplace to see the street traders selling their wares, hoping to catch your eye, hoping to engage – a sale, a dollar!
Going to Market
In Phnom Penh, we came upon many food markets. These were a feast for my eyes with a humming energy ever-present. The colours, the textures, the smells of fish, fruit and fowl all mingled together to create a pungent aroma. Chickens squawked, frogs leapt and fish squirmed while underfed cats came to see what offerings could be had.
Crispy Snake for Sale
All kinds of food was on offer with fruits I’d never seen nor heard of before. My imagination was rather more stretched when I saw such things as spiders being served as a delicacy. Tourists gathered round and dared each other to taste the culinary delights. I played my role through “observation” only!
Spiders - Roasted n Toasted!
Crickets 'n all !
Suckling Pig
- Crystallsing the palm sugar
The palm tree is very interesting because of how useful it is. Every part of the tree has a purpose, even the roots of the tree play their part. In this photograph, the girl is cooking the sap from the palm tree and stirring it until it crystallizes. It is then wrapped in palm leaves and sold for cooking purposes. This is a high quality 100% natural food product.
We also tasted some palm sugar wine and needless to say, it was delicious.
Check back soon to see my next posting on Asian charm and my next painting.
Market Day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Posted in Fine Art, Lifestyle, News, Travel
Tagged Angkor, Business and Economy, Cambodia, Khmer, Khmer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Vietnam
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Where in the World is Hannah?
Where in the World is Hannah?
Hannah strolls the beach with Muffy. The evening light casts long shadows and reflections while a pink and purple hue invades the landscape. The world is at her feet, full of hopes, dreams and possibilities!
My inspiration for this painting happened when earlier in the year we visited Spanish Point.
Spanish Point is located on the west coast of county Clare Ireland. It takes it’s name from the unfortunate Spanish who died in 1588, when many ships of the Spanish Armada were wrecked during stormy weather. It is more renowned today as being one of the best surfing sites on the west coast of Ireland.
I used handmade paper from South India 320 gsm with watercolour and ink.
Posted in Fine Art, Seascape Paintings
Tagged Arts, Clare, County Clare, Ireland, Spanish Armada, Spanish Point
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