Marianna McDonald

I have painted the rural areas of eastern United States for 40 years. In high school I started painting in oils, but when I experimented with pastels 20 years ago I was hooked on the vibrant color and immediacy of the medium. When first using the brilliant color of pastel medium, I was as excited as a kid with a new box of crayons.

Although trained in figure painting at Murray State University, landscape has always been my choice of subject matter. As soon as I graduated I started painting what I loved - the land. The Kentucky landscape gives me the chance to depict the peaceful roll of the fields and the gentle flow of then central Kentucky waterways. We have a farm in Randolph County, West Virginia which has been in my family for 5 generations. I paint the fields and mountain hillsides that my great-grandfather cleared of forest to raise sheep and cattle.

I hope my paintings express to the viewer the peace that I feel when I walk this land. I paint what I see, combined what I feel, adjust the color to emphasis the light and shadow, and hope the viewer connects to the sense of place which attracts me to this beautiful land.