Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynne McDonald.
Hi Lynne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I wasn’t always an artist. I thought like an artist, but I considered it a bad thing. I tried for a long time to suppress my ostensibly unconventional tendencies and took jobs in sales and marketing high-tech companies for years, but I was never truly happy or fulfilled. I grew up financially unstable so job security was far more important.
In 2005 I had a calling I could not ignore. It was a nagging image of a painting….but I wasn’t a painter! I had no clue where to start. So I sat on it for a long nine months before I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
I saw a friend’s collection of original paintings in their new home and decided I needed to do something about it so I headed to the art supply store! I asked a few questions and left with one large canvas, one paint brush and three tubes of paint. I painted the canvas on the wall because I didn’t even have an easel.
I had my art collector friend over to see my finished work and his jaw dropped. I was pleased but thought it was an anomaly and promptly put away my paintbrush and decided to quit while I was ahead!
I moved away to Montreal and it wasn’t for another decade before I felt the nagging feeling again.; an inspiration I could not ignore.
I posted little experiments on Facebook and people responded. I was asked to do a piece for one person and then another and another. I just kept saying yes!
Against the fear of failure and public humiliation, I kept posting my paintings and in January of 2020, I went all-in with my business as a full-time artist. I worked hard to fill my schedule with art shows and events throughout the year…
And then the pandemic hit us! I had to cancel everything and started posting live art shows from my home and low and behold I ended up having more success than I ever imagined!
Now I have hundreds of collectors all over the United States and the world. Even as far away as Greece! My work has been juried and won awards. I have large commercial buildings with my artwork and am currently the featured artist at Serendipity Labs. I have representation in Florida and Alabama. And I have cleared paintings for film and tv work. I am an artist!
If you had told me in my twenties that I would be making a living and supporting my son as an artist and stirring souls with my artwork I never would’ve believed you. I never allowed myself to dream that far outside the box. Now I tell people to follow their dreams as wild as you think they are because that is what makes their life unique and special. That is their gift to the world. Just keep saying yes!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s a very vulnerable position to open up your heart, pour it all over a canvas and ask the public what they think of it. I had to overcome fear of criticism and get over nasty comments like, “that’s not art” from people that didn’t understand or appreciate abstract. I realize not everyone is going to like my work and that in itself is challenging. But sticking my toe in the art world and then being hit with a pandemic and economic uncertainty was way beyond normal concerns. I have a son depending on me. Failure was not an option, but I was stubborn as well and my happiness wasn’t up for negotiation. I didn’t want my son to see me sell my soul either. There’s a balance and I’m hyper-aware that he is watching.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love organic composition. I fell in love with the chemical reactions of different mediums when I first saw it back in the early 2000s. When I started exploring ways to express myself artistically, I gravitated to astronomy and galactic imaging. I kept trying to get these webs onto the canvas by mixing different pigments with different mediums to create different viscosity and then manage how they reacted. It was always more interesting to me how paints repelled rather than blended.
There are many artists that pour, but mine is a little different. I do larger pieces and that in itself has different challenges with pooling and managing composition…
I have chosen to grow my own online gallery and show solo events throughout Atlanta. I am so grateful to have my artwork embraced. Every artist wants to create an emotional impact and spread beauty.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Completely reinventing myself mid-life made me realize what a gift this life is and it should never be squandered. By that, I mean that I intuitively knew that my purpose in life was to spread love and beauty but thought that was fanciful and unimportant. Now that I’m willing to do the work I see how much of an impact I can make. It has made people happy in a way I never thought possible and that in turn has enriched my life beyond imaginable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lynnemcdonald.com
- Instagram: @lynnemcdonaldsgallery
- Facebook: Lynne McDonald’s Gallery
- Twitter: Lynne McDonald
Image Credits
Chelsea Patricia Photography Tran Bui Productions.
