The Art of Randall McD

My freind, Randall, is displaying some of his artwork on his website: The Art of Randy McDermit Most of his pieces are highly emotional figure studies done on large canvas with acrylic. On his site, you will also find a coupla charcoal and pastel pieces. i have also seen many smaller pen & ink drawings that are both bold and delicate.
Randy tells me he hasn't updated in a while, so maybe he'll put some more work in that space soon. The pieces on his site are representative of the body of work that i have seen at shows, around town, and all around his own home.
The most striking feature of Randy's paintings is his use of geometric blocks of color to emote the fractious, tormented souls of his subjects. The juxtaposition of warm and cool hues throughout the composition stresses the more emotive details of the figure as the rest commingles with the background, effectively creating a sense that the confusion of the subject is casued by, or part of, her surroundings. Or is it the other way around? Is the inner turmoil manifesting itself as chaos in her outer world?
On some of Randy's more abstract pieces, it's difficult to tell if the figure is emerging from the tumult or receding into it. Your interpretation will vary, depending on your current state of mind, and that is one of the reasons i think Randy's work is so successful. Although the figures may appear dispondent at this moment, Randy's careful and measured choices of color and composition effectively create a palpable sense of desperation as the subject reaches a tipping point. This is where Randy's talent is best displayed, and the efficacy of his work hits you as it captures the subject in that moment of inner peace as disorder swirls about them. It is left to the observer to decide whether the figure will maintain the placidity of the moment and emerge from dispair, or surrender and fade into the discordant milieu.
More photos of Randy's work are on display here on his website. If you would like to contact Randy and perhaps purchase a painting or two (x-mas is right around the corner!) please let me know. You can email me (most of you know my contact info), or leave a comment by clicking on "comments" on his website or mine..

-Enjoy!