walnut artist ursula mcdonnel shows at arta gallery
Ursula is a Toronto born artist. Her body of work consists of haunting portraits and colourful Mixed Media abstracts. As a child Ursula sat with her father and learned how to draw. She grew up to have a passion for art throughout grade school and high school. While studying math at University of Toronto, Ursula managed to maintain her interest in art.
How did the show opportunity come up? What was the concept behind the show?
The owner of Arta Gallery was looking for some portraits for a client and reached out to an artist friend of mine. He sent her examples of my work and she approached me to be a part of her art show called Connections. It was a great opportunity and such a testament to artists supporting artists and the opportunities that come around when we all work together.
You also do abstracts which is very unique- how are the portraits different in approach for you?
The portraits appeal to the type A part of my personality while the abstracts give me a chance to escape that side of myself. I can get very intense about my portraits I always feel like the process takes me somewhere other than where I am painting. Quite often I find this draining and I will pour myself into an abstract in order to ground myself. Some would argue that my feelings about my portraits and abstracts should be in reverse, but that is the way it is for me.
How did your work fit into the group show - were you inspired by the other artists in the show - how did it all "work together"?
I felt all of the pieces in the show were very different visually but the connection each piece had with the viewer was similar. All the pieces in the show represented an intimate moment in time.
How did this opportunity benefit you professionally?
This show was a great step in my career as a portrait artist and an artist in general. I was able to hang my portraits in a venue that complimented them and meet people who I would not have otherwise met. I found people received my portraits the way I wanted them to. Some said they felt as if they could pick up a conversation with the subjects and wanted to. Most of all this opportunity gave me the confidence to keep on painting.
To see more of McDonnell’s work click here: http://ursulamcdonnellart.com/
