Featured Artist at Arts Business Institute
Delighted to get the opportunity to appear as a featured artist at Arts Business Institute
Here is a transcript of the feature and I hope you will enjoy the read:
Painter Donna McGee shares her impressive portfolio, and shares her story of inspiration and life as a working artist.
ABI: You bill yourself as an “Irish Landscape Artist” – what does this encompass?
DG: Growing up in Ireland, I have been constantly moved by our rich heritage in the arts. Whether literature or poetry, music or dance, our enduring culture has always gripped me. Never more so than the rich tapestry that painting brings to my life, and the sense of capturing the beauty that surrounds us.
Ireland has a coastline of almost 3,000 km. Its changeable oceanic climate provides a spectacular landscape. The mountains, low plains, rivers and lush forests provide constant inspiration.
Magnificent sunsets, stormy skies contrast against the rhythmic force of the ocean. The ever-changing light in this natural landscape draws an emotional response and a spiritual connection with nature. All of this natural beauty features strongly in my work.
When the weather is not so inclement, I take myself off to the surrounding countryside and enjoy plein air painting. I also participate in the annual international event in the South East of Ireland Art in the Open.
My preferred medium is oils.
ABI: What has inspired you most as a painter?
DG: The restless elemental forces of this great landscape compel me to capture its magic and celebrate its timeless beauty. It is my drive and hope to stir this emotional connection in the eyes of the viewer.
I am very fortunate to live at the foothills of the Dublin mountains and I can reach the ocean within a half hour from my home.
I have always enjoyed the creativity that painting unlocks in me. When my children were young, I seized every opportunity to devote myself to the arts, working in a home environment. In recent years, I enjoy the absolute pleasure of having a custom-built studio in my garden. There is nowhere better!
ABI: How do you exhibit and sell your work?
DG: I exhibit my work through various channels and continuously explore new opportunities as they arise.
My website and an active social media footprint has also proven successful for me to exhibit and sell my work. I am considering putting a shop on my website but have not as yet taken that plunge.
I also participate in many group exhibitions and galleries throughout Ireland.
You can find me weekly at Merrion Square Open-Air Art Gallery usually on a Sunday in beautiful Georgian Dublin and also at the Peoples Art in the centre of Dublin city at regular intervals throughout the year. This provides a great opportunity for visitors to view the paintings but also to meet me in person and discuss the work.
I am busy at the moment preparing for two large national shows happening this Spring time: The Ideal Homes Exhibition and House 2018 an event dedicated to high-end interior design.