McDonnel draws with paint, using handmade brushes and implements to create an image that looks both atmospheric and earthlike at the same time. This piece, brimming with multiple layers, appears to be dense but blusterous. The painterly gestures, sensual and organic, come forward and pull back, compelling the viewer to wonder what kind of environment they may have encountered.
McDonnell’s approach to her work finds her in “conversation” with the piece she is working on. “For me,” she says, “it’s not one point of entry, but lots of back and forth before I decide on a painting’s orientation.” If she’s begun a painting but hasn’t found her way, McDonnell says, “We’re not talking together yet.”