David McDonald
Tiny Histories Series
#18 -Wood, Paper, 2006
#36 -Wood, Enamel, Acrylic, Mortar, 2008
#54 - Wood, Acrylic, Joint Compound, 2009
#59 -Wood, Enamel, Varnish, Acrylic, 2010
#67 -Wood, Mortar, Acrylic, Tape, Nail, 2010
#69 -Wood, Clay, Acrylic, Enamel, 2010
#70 -Wood, Varnish, Acrylic, Joint Compound, 2006-10
Nothing has changed - everything has changed.
The birth of my son and having a family is one of those before and after moments; the patterns of your life are irrevocably changed. Your time becomes squeezed, your social life changes, and your inner world changes. The most immediate change is the loss of time that is your own, babies and small children are all consuming in their demands, only small pockets of time remain for yourself.
My time for my own work went from full eight hour days to periods of 30 minutes to a couple of hours a day, with these pockets subject to interruption at any time (mostly because these pockets were the result of nap times which have unpredictable lengths). I adjusted my working methods, I created processes that carried on while I was not present, and adjusted my time so that drying times, gluing times, and the times for molds setting up were all happening while I was not present. I got almost as much done but in a more direct fashion with seemingly less of me involved and more with materials being allowed to do what they do.
My time spent on intellectual pursuits, reading, and writing was shortened. My studio time was about direct action, just do it!
Despite all this change, however, the core of what I want my art to be about and the issues it deals with have not changed much. All that’s changed is my approach.