PASTINE  PROJECTS

Solid as Breath

Tipping point
this world - beautiful and fragile
‘knowing’ ‘understanding’-
words of another time.
walk in the desert, look to the sky
go in the mountains, find water

-Robin McDonnell

Pastine Projects is thrilled to feature Robin McDonnell's new paintings and sculptures, opening January 21. In her new work, McDonnell continues her inquiry into works that express awe of the natural world, as well as recognition of the precarious balance of nature and the built environment that exists at this moment in time.

McDonnell's sculptures are made from consumer-waste Styrofoam encased in epoxy. In both her sculptures and paintings, McDonnell uses spray paint to build up layers of translucent color. The resulting luminous surfaces create an atmospheric depth that invokes ever receding memories of land, sky, and water. In addition to their seductive beauty, McDonnell's works also situate us at the tipping point of flux and uncertainty, as if we were standing on the edge of a precipice where we can glimpse both past and future.

Robin McDonnell is based in Oakland, California. Her concerns have to do with nature and change, utilizing an intuitive materials-based process and abstract language. She works on both traditional linen panels and with three-dimensional forms. She has been an art educator at Mills College, Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. McDonnell received her MFA from the University of California, Berkeley in 1996 and her BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts in 1994. Her work has been reviewed multiple times and shown at museums, Art Basel Miami, and established galleries. She was featured in a group exhibition, Peripheral Vision, at Pastine Projects in March of 2022.