Grand Bohemian Exhibiting Bruce MacDonald Paintings
Artist Bruce MacDonald has a love affair with barns. “Barns tell stories and they speak to me,” he says. “They speak of history, of time past, of labor; they speak of directed purpose and association—with the cattle, chickens, horses, the hay, the tractors, rakes, and pitchforks that sheltered in them…” He adds, “That is why I paint barns. Their stories vary, but at their core they reflect honesty, history, and labor.”
An exhibit of his works, titled “Beyond the Red Barn,” will be at Grand Bohemian Gallery, 11 Boston Way in Biltmore Village, opening with an artist’s reception from 5:30–8 p.m. on Friday, August 5, and running through September 5. There will also be a special display of works by new artists at the gallery, including Marilyn Sparks and Kay Vinson.
Bruce lives and works in Lexington, Virginia, close to the North Carolina border. He was born in Chicago and graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, as well as from the School of the Art Institute and the American Academy of Art, both in Chicago.
“I grew up in the Midwest, and in those days the farms were just on the edge of the towns…I think they got into my spirit even as a boy.”
Bruce continues, ”One of my father’s best friends was a well-known Chicago artist, Earl Gross, and he mentored me. He took me on painting trips outdoors—and, yes, we painted barns. He had a studio in Chicago, and I worked there as an intern, cleaned palettes, ran errands, for a little pay, but really for the value of watching him work…” Study Bruce’s paintings and you’ll realize why he says, “The best art (to me) is completed in the viewer’s eye (in the head).” He has a wonderful ability to distill a scene to its basic components and then to capture its visual essence.
His works are in permanent collections across the country, including the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio, The Union League Club of Chicago, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
For more, visit bohemianhotelasheville.com, or call Constance Richards, gallery director, at 828.398.5555.
