Details:
① Artwork:
Deception
This oil painting features a single fish just below the surface of the water. Although the pond appears to be an idyllic habitat, the fish unknowingly faces imminent danger as a fishing lure bobs enticingly in the clear water. The bright colors of flora and the sparkle of the water mask the intentions of the unseen fisherman while mirroring the outlook of the fish. While the fish sees an opportunity for food, the viewer knows that taking the bait will bring about its own demise.
Megan Ellen Macdonald created this still life with 3D software. The artist then painted the arrangement in a process she refers to as "documenting." This work simultaneously embraces both femininity and power in its depiction of a relationship that is both intimate and destructive. Macdonald's visual language employs objects considered both diminutive and feminine, challenging pre-established aesthetic hierarchies.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Megan Ellen Macdonald’s paintings create a visual language out of objects considered both diminutive and feminine—challenging pre-established aesthetic hierarchies. The artist uses 3D software to create still life arrangements, and then paints the results in a process she refers to as "documenting." Macdonald’s work explores what it means to embrace both femininity and power through the depiction of intimate and destructive relationships.
BIO:
Megan Ellen Macdonald received a BFA in Drawing and Painting from Ontario College of Art & Design University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2013.
Solo exhibitions of Macdonald's work have taken place at: Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario, Canada (2022); and Hashimoto Contemporary in Los Angeles, California (2021).
Group exhibitions that have shown Macdonald’s work include: Playground of Geometry at the Center of International Contemporary Art in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2022); Los Angeles Inaugural at Hashimoto Contemporary in Los Angeles, California (2021); IRL at Unit London in London, UK (2020); These Things I Have Seen at Art Gallery of Peterborough in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada (2018); and GIFC at The Hole in New York City (2017).
Megan Ellen Macdonald was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont in 2018 and an artist in residence at Artscape Gibraltar Point in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 2014.
Macdonald’s work has been published in national outlets, including Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s CBC Arts and the Toronto Star.
Macdonald lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
