The Natural World

West Monroe artist Donna McGee looks to the works of earlier artists such as Vincent Van Gogh for their use of bright colors and their “unique vision” and to environmentalists, conservationists and poets for their love of nature. But most of all, she stresses the spiritual and aesthetic importance and inner peace of “being in the moment” when in nature and at her easel.

“The artists who inspire me are those that have a unique vision and are seriously committed to the pursuit of that vision,” says McGee. “They all have helped me to see the world in a different way.”

Born in 1953 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, McGee’s love of nature began while growing up on her family farm in Mississippi. From that early age, the photographs of Ansel Adams and the conservation work of John Muir began to influence her ideas about conservation and the environment. Later she read Thoreau poems about living close to nature. “That made me feel good about how I grew up,” she recalls. “On the farm, we were [dependent] upon and aware of how important the earth and land were to us.”

McGee also credits the life and work of artist Georgia O’Keefe. “She seemed independent, focused and take- charge,” McGee says. “O’Keefe camped and hiked in nature, and painted. It reminded me of my childhood and how I grew up,” she says. McGee also mentions her longtime friend, the late West Monroe teacher Ana Ham, who taught her to “be in the moment, enjoy the moment, not the destination” when in nature.

“I am interested in the beauty of nature, the colors and texture,” she says, “but my interest goes beyond the surface. I enjoy how light or night affects how we see the world. My interest is more about the moods or mystique of nature. I love the time between day and night when the world changes, when reality opens the door to dreams. I like night and the mystery of what happens in the night. I am very responsive to the moods of nature. When I paint plein air, the goal is to learn more about what is happening with nature. The knowledge gleaned from plein air paintings becomes a part of my studio work, but I rarely paint a studio version of the same scene.”     

Though McGee’s intensely bright and colorful palette is about nature, it’s not in the traditional sense an exact representation of what she sees, but what flows through her imagination, observations and sense of social responsibility. She creates images of the land, flowers, birds and “forces shaping the land.” But if you look closely into those images, you will find embedded in the paint cuttings from recycled plastic water bottles, candy bags and other discarded plastic waste.

“I wanted to be a bit more pro-environment with my work,” she says. “I want them to be beautiful, not angry, art but still carry a message. I asked friends to save their pretty pieces of plastic that they were going to throw in the trash. I’ve got boxes full of plastic packaging. They might have recycle symbols that show as a society we have an interest in the environment. But at the same time, they are plastic packages or plastic bottles that go into the trash. My art becomes a talking point for responsible use of natural resources. That’s where I am. We can’t live without plastic but there are all kinds of research for creating plastics that are biodegradable. There’s hope.”

Like most artists, McGee has a message in her art. It’s about nature and responsible living. She wants to inspire people. “We are part of nature and should be respectful all that nature gives us,” she says. “I think we have become distanced from the fact that our lives really depend on nature and the environment. I want my art to speak more strongly fo

r nature, for ideas of conservation and responsible use, but I also want it to be beautiful.”

Wanting her art to be responsible and beautiful has brought McGee considerable attention. In addition to advanced degrees from Louisiana Tech in Ruston and Mississippi State University and over three decades teaching art at Grambling State University, where she also served as department head, McGee has received numerous awards and honors, and her work has been included in a number of national and international juried exhibitions. But with that said, McGee is most at peace and in her “most real place” when painting and creating art.

“Time really has no meaning,” she says. “It is a very meditative experience for me. It is very therapeutic, but this is probably because I just love the process. It makes me happy. It’s part of me and what I do.”

For additional information, visit donnafmcgeefineart.com.

Exhibits

Cajun | Dark Wave/Light Room.
Group show limiting color to amplify line, form, texture, through Jan. 10.  Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette. acadianacenterforthearts.org

Central | Enduring Concepts.
Artists approach themes of people, place, emotion, spirituality, permanent show. Alexandria Museum of Art. themuseum.org 

NOLA | Each One Teach One.
100 years of art from Xavier University of New Orleans, through Jan. Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans. ogdenmuseum.org

North | Clyde Connell and Pat Sewell.
Work by two renowned North Louisiana artists, permanent show. Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, Shreveport. laexhibitmuseum.org

River Parishes | A Bayou State of Mind.
Louisiana artists explore Louisiana culture, through Jan. 4. LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge. lsumoa.org