440 Gallery Presents Painting and Printmaking by Daniel McDonald September 11, 2009

440 Gallery presents Daniel McDonald’s inaugural exhibition with a vibrant show of paintings, silk screens and etchings. McDonald’s work is based on an underlying grid pattern that contains an expressive gesture and exuberant color.

The work is notable for a sophisticated color palette, evidence of McDonald’s more than 20 years as an instructor of color theory at Parsons School of Design and a Professor at Kingsborough Community College. His latest works are multi-paneled paintings on raw linen using a mixed media of oil, acrylic and pastel.

Two large vertical paintings on paper, “Tablet Diptych,” are dramatic in scale, with rich earth tones and a linear vitality. The artist has spoken of his use of line, “I am intrigued by ancient cultures and their calligraphic expression. Apart from communicating anything specific, I explore the visual sensibilities of the line, shape and hue.”

The artist is a virtuoso printmaker, chosen to participate in Los Angeles Printmaking Society’s, “LAPS 20th National Exhibition,” for October, 2009. Mentored by Marie Dormuth, who printed Andy Warhol’s iconic silk screens, McDonald’s silk screen, “Book,” is a tour de force of seven plates and 14 impressions that has the freshness and vitality of a spontaneous drawing.

The exhibition is punctuated by a few smaller black-and-white etchings. The black ink of these works conveys a texture as complex and nuanced as the most vibrant of his color work.

“Painting and Printmaking” is on view at 440 Gallery from
September 10 - October 18, 2009. An artist’s reception at the gallery will be held Friday, September 11, 2009 from 6-9 pm.