A Quiet Nature

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem,” says A.A. Milne from the popular book Winnie the Pooh.

- SUSAN MCDONNELL

This quote has directly affected the new work of artist Susan McDonnell, who will be showcasing her magical, highly realistic animal and wildlife paintings at Sullivan Goss. While her past collections have explored the intricacies of still life, she slowly expanded to include living elements.

The show title, A Quiet Nature, perfectly represents the feeling behind the work and even McDonnell’s artistic process. “That’s what a lot of what these paintings are about,” she explains. “These quiet encounters. I have these moments where everything stops and puts me in a place outside of language. You get really quiet and [the animals] are observing me too. It’s just this quiet place.”

Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling and a large influence on McDonnell’s work, furthers, “McDonnell follows a long tradition, from John James Audubon to Robert Bateman. She paints the mystery we can sense, but never fully understand, in the lives of the family of animals, of which we are members.”