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Susan McDonald was born on a farm in Illinois, USA and grew up in Miami, Florida. After being awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and Masters in Business Administration in the 1980’s, she had diverse careers including steel pipeline welder in Oklahoma, research scientist in Arizona, film critic in Japan and entrepreneur in London. Whilst living in Tokyo she studied calligraphy leading her to create her own idiosyncratic, non-conformist ink paintings, using fragments of Japanese characters and symbols.

After living and working several years in Asia, Susan moved permanently to London. Largely self-taught, she constantly expands her practice by experimenting and playing. Her abundant life experiences continue to inspire fresh avenues of exploration and discovery.

My artistic practice is rooted in gesture and substance, deliberation and chance. I find immense pleasure in the act of creation itself – from the tactile experience of mixing materials and colours to the rhythmic dance of building, layering, revealing and concealing.

I adore the physicality of building up and breaking down. Through layering materials like paint, plaster, clay and organic elements, I weave narratives of complexity, symbiosis and history.

I am inspired by a deep connection to the natural world, exploring themes of birth, death and regeneration, and celebrating the beauty of living in the moment. Ancient myths, origin tales, and religious parables concerning women, power, sex and love fascinate me. These stories imbedded in our culture provide a lens for exploring and reimagining human identity within social and cultural contexts. Through my art, I envision a better way of living – a vision of expansion, freedom, and connection.

Education

  • Bachelor of Science degree, University of Florida
  • Master of Business degree, University of Arizona
  • Fine arts courses at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Art

Solo exhibitions

  • 2022 Desiring Beauty, Natalia Miyar Atelier, London
  • 2021 Eros & Dust, Urbanek Gallery, London
  • 2018 Cycles, Urbanek Gallery, London
  • 2018 Beyond Form, Future Gallery, London
  • 2016 The Poetics of Gesture, Ninoska Huerta Gallery, Miami, FL

Group exhibitions

  • 2023 Elemental, Lansdown Stores, Bath
  • 2022 Shades of Green, Royal United Hospital, Bath
  • 2022 Art at TDR, The Drawing Rooms, Bath
  • 2020 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London

Work is held in private and corporate collections in London, Paris, New York, Miami, Sydney, Athens and Panama.

Press

Active member of the Tate Latin American Acquisitions Committee since 2017, acquiring works for the Tate annually