Danielle Mckinney – Comfort and Quietude

Reclusive moments of deep reflection, introspection, and wonder come alive in her work, moods that have simmered all along as her new recipe arrives at the perfect temperature. Mckinney’s legacy is already rich with heartfelt interpretations of a universal sensibility.

- By Kristin Farr. Portrait by The Artist

To question how the pandemic changed an artists’ work can feel trite—until the answer is miraculous. Danielle Mckinney made photographs, primarily, until the time confined at home found her painting in earnest with a raw, natural energy that had been quietly waiting to be fully unleashed.

Mckinney’s photography is already remarkable; look up The Guardian to see how her creative lens eases between camera and paint. Reclusive moments of deep reflection, introspection, and wonder come alive in her work, moods that have simmered all along as her new recipe arrives at the perfect temperature. Mckinney’s legacy is already rich with heartfelt interpretations of a universal sensibility.

Kristin Farr: What are you up to?

Danielle Mckinney: I’m trying to finish up these paintings for Fortnight Gallery. I’ll try to do one more today, and then spend some time with my husband. It’s good weather, and I’m glad it’s warmer.

Tell me more about your process.

Sometimes I’ll use a photo reference from Instagram or Pinterest. I’m always on my phone with social media, anyway, so when I see a photograph or something, it’ll trigger me to use it as a reference. Or I’ll see a painting when my husband and I are at The Met, and I’ll find a style that I like. What happens is I kind of project myself into it. So it’s like the photograph is the reference, and the painting becomes my way to actually make that image myself, so they’re kind of autobiographical in that way.