Rachel McDonnell

24 August - 28 September

Opening 7:30pm Friday 23 August

“For so long, as we evolved as a species, the natural environment has been bigger than us. Its growth, lives and deaths have been little affected by mankind. In recent centuries, however, the balance has shifted, and the impact of our actions upon the world have become all but overpowering, consisting not only of direct effects (such as cutting down a tree), but also indirect ones (such as climate change or acid rain). My paintings seek to explore these ideas, to celebrate the beauty and fragility of our environment, and its role as barometer and victim of what we are doing to the world which supports us. More optimistically, I also believe the environment itself may offer one of the best solutions to our global predicament, and that painting has a role to play in highlighting what’s going wrong and engaging people in making things right.”

We are excited to welcome the work of Rachel McDonnell in her solo exhibition. Rachel is a landscape artist fluctuating between painting the abstract and the representational. Rachel is inspired by the environment as she frequently focuses on woodlands and trees after she was appalled by the number of trees destined to be destroyed for HS2.