Clowns In My Coffee: New Works by Brian McDonald

Reaves Gallery is pleased to announce Clowns in My Coffee, an exhibition of new paintings by San Francisco Artist Brian McDonald. Edgy, urban, and irreverent, McDonald’s collection of new mixed media paintings will be on view at Reaves Gallery from October 10 through November 2, 2008. A gala opening reception will be held on Friday October 17, from 6 - 9pm. The exhibition and reception are both free and open to the public.

Inspired by cartoons, dream logic, and music, McDonald’s paintings provide an explosive visual impact and explore a provocative range of subject matter. Layers of paint and collage are woven together into a musical montage of choice and chance, brought together by the artist’s structural sense of composition and an eye for poetry in found materials. Through the use of disparate and often ambiguous imagery, McDonald employs the Duchampian idea of art being completed by the viewer allowing each individual to construct a narrative based on personal associations. McDonald’s distinct visual style is underscored by a rather dry and dark humor that pokes fun at the absurdity of modern life while creating a vigorously tense connection with the viewer.

Brian McDonald is a painter who lives and works in the Mission District. His paintings can be found in numerous private collections around the Bay Area, across the United States, and in Brazil. His latest paintings, featured in a show entitled Clowns In My Coffee, will be on display from October 10 through November 2 at Reaves Gallery, 235 Gough Street (at Hickory between Fell and Oak) in San Francisco.

An opening reception for the artist will be held on Friday October 17, from 6 - 9pm.