The roses that were there (2018) Collages by Donald Mcleman

I am a mixed media artist born and raised in a small fishing village in the north of Scotland. I began as a professional photographer and ranged over other design roles in the real world and on the internet. Now my time is filled with rough paper collages and expressive mark-making. These pictures open up naive explorations of unlikely compositions and fleeting reactions, worked out with instinct and emotional thrusts. My technique juggles unforeseen juxtapositions with broken fragments, the whole coming together to achieve a precarious but satisfying complexity. The question of balance is always present. The torn and faded materials reflect the passage of time alongside a view of an imperfect humanity.

My influences may not be apparent… I keep coming back to Cézanne and Matisse.

All these works are made to archival standards on sealed wood. The paper is coated on both sides with Golden soft gel medium to preserve the colours and protected with UV varnish.

• Nationality: UNITED KINGDOM
• Date of birth : 1965
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary British Artists