Josh Ryan McDonald, Bovinae, oil and cold wax on canvas, 24 x 24 in, 2026

JOSH RYAN MCDONALD

Harbinger

June 4th - June 28th
Opening Reception : Sunday, June 7th, 12-2 pm

Artist Statement

Josh Ryan McDonald is a landscape painter who uses abstraction and personal symbolism to tell stories rooted in memory and place. Through geometric forms and carefully composed shapes, he explores the elements that shaped him—primarily the physical and emotional landscape of an Oregon family farm.

Set in the high desert, this environment existed in a delicate balance between raw nature and human-made structure. Recurring themes include the animals and natural forces that defined daily life, the pristine interiors of a 1970s ranch house with its distinctive color palette, and the often stark presence of human intervention on the land. These memories are distilled into abstracted compositions that blend personal history with formal invention.

McDonald draws inspiration from early Modern art movements, particularly Cubism, De Stijl, and Neoplasticism. His paintings employ a limited color palette, strong contrasts of light and shadow, and a sense of depth created through geometric structure and angular relationships. Working in oil and cold wax, he builds rich, tactile surfaces, then drags a comb through the wet paint in sharp, linear gestures. These marks disrupt hard edges, creating softness, unexpected blends, and complex textures.
Ultimately, his work is a process of filtering the past—reconstructing childhood memory into something tangible, layered, and new.