Biographical Sketch of Shane McDonald

Shane McDonald began developing his skills in drawing and painting while growing up in a small town in Illinois. In 1987, serious studies of visual art and figure drawing at Kennesaw State University enhanced his appreciation for the human figure and triggered a strong interest in portraiture. In 1992, he graduated with a B. A. degree in Visual Arts. He then worked full-time as a graphic designer and illustrator while pursuing his interest in drawing and painting people.

For more than fifteen years Mr. McDonald’s work has been in the public eye of Metro Atlanta and North Georgia in the form of graphic designs, illustrations and fine-art portraits, landscapes, and still-lifes. Aside from winning awards in exhibitions of the Fine Arts Society of Kennesaw, the Portrait Society of Atlanta, and exhibiting in Kennesaw State University Galleries, Barnes and Noble, and the Georgia Marble Festival, Mr. McDonald’s work can be seen in the 1996 children’s publication of My Trip to the Big Chicken. His graphic design and illustration was evident on the campus of Kennesaw State University with his design of its nationally award-winning “Year of the Arts” logo and various related publications, especially those pertaining to the performing arts. He also has produced murals for both private and public spaces, including the cafeterias at Cobb County’s Lewis Elementary and Cherokee County’s Carmel Elementary.

Mr. McDonald currently lives in Marietta pursuing his career as a full-time artist, art instructor, and business owner. He has shown generous support as a Partner in Education for Lewis Elementary last year, and this year he has expanded his support with Burrus Elementary. Mr. McDonald believes his success as an artist is due to an early introduction to drawing, painting, and three-dimensional design that was only available to him during his public schooling as a young child. He realizes the importance of visual art in education, and wants to support its continuance in our public education system.
An innate understanding of color and human proportion and his attention to capturing a strong likeness have won Shane McDonald many awards, including first place in three consecutive juried exhibitions sponsored by the Fine Arts Society of Kennesaw, Georgia. He is a juried member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta, a member of the Portrait Society of America, and American Society of Portrait Artists.

Enthusiastically accepting private and commercial commissions in murals and portraiture of adults, children, pets, and homes, Mr. McDonald loves to paint his subjects in idealistic settings with layers of colors that interplay to create rich tones of space. Vast depth results from his use of vibrant interaction of warm, cool and complementary colors in alluring shapes that lead the viewer to take note of every passage in his paintings.