Interview
Edward M. Donald
From childhood joy and interest to adult determination and training the road is not so different from so many other artists. Much credit must go to Edward’s parents for indulging his interest and not standing as a barrier in his development. Quite to the contrary, Edward was given rich opportunities along with a fair share of luck growing up. Luck came by way of wonderful art teachers in public school and Saturday classes at Detroit Institute of Arts. His childhood orientation was entirely cultural starting in the 1950s and 1960s.
Post high school, Edward was accepted to The Art School of the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit. He did well, winning a merit scholarship for his work blending graphic design with fashion illustration. Edward moved to Toronto, Canada after art school to apply his skills to things other than automotive related advertising, the focus in Detroit, and that was such an exciting place for any young artist to work in the 1970s. He did graphic design and illustration for fashion, package goods and government services like the Ministry of Natural Resources. Now well into the second chapter of his life, and living in Michigan, he’s finally doing what his heart always wanted, fine arts. It’s not that he didn’t like his life as an applied artist, it’s that he also needed to answer a very different calling in the arts.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“My formal visual arts education was grade school through high school and that education was enhanced with classes at Detroit Institute of Arts. I graduated from Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and worked as an applied artist in Canada and the USA until I retired, and my focus moved to fine arts. I applied my professional training and skills to graphic design, art direction and illustration in a wide variety of areas including government services, publishing and advertising. I also taught classes at College for Creative Studies in Detroit and exhibit in North America and Europe.”
What inspires you?
“Nature and music but also human interaction. I'm focused on what I feel rather than what my eyes see. Expressionist art.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I really don't think much about themes or subjects framing my efforts. That said, I have subjects covering human studies as well as nature and city scapes. I am not a message artist but simply wish to engage the viewer in an emotional journey with me. I don't make pictures, I create experiences through my work.”
How would you describe your work?
“Life in all its colors, textures, patterns and voices held together by the tread of our shared humanity - tenuously, delicately, hoping to travel with just one caring soul. My visual images seek to create sounds from the colors and stories yet to be completed in our imagination from the shapes and forming’s. To see without assumptions is perhaps one of the greatest challenges I have faced as an artist. To look deeply, with all my senses, into the abyss and discover rather than define and allow experiences to wash over me. I don’t plan so much as absorb what notion is presented and let the spirit guide me. This is not science. Is not predictable or rarely repeatable and is art meant to illuminate and provoke. I don’t believe in style selected or applied artificially but as more of an unconscious personal signature of how an artist speaks. Style should never be confined by subject or materials but rather part of a conversation the artist is having and sharing. The artwork reaches out to me, speaks to me, and guides my actions long before I touch the page. It lives before it is born. It’s never about mood, it’s about being in such a receptive state that all our senses align with singular purpose and resolve. Living without boxes, without group identity, and without assumptions defines my efforts. My artistic goal reflects a seeking and a desire to find those visual voices that do not always harmonize but in their distinctive expression create the texture of one’s life.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Some of the most important influencers have been Egon Schiele, Alberto Giacometti and Georgia O’Keeffe.”
“To see without assumptions is perhaps one of the greatest challenges I have faced as an artist. To look deeply, with all my senses, into the abyss and discover rather than define and allow experiences to wash over me.”
What is your creative process like?
“I feel a lot like a pilgrim searching for meaning and encouraging emotional connections. My practice is not about sales or PR, it has as its core purpose the desire to provoke a desire to explore deeply and meaningfully through subject, composition, color and texture. I work with conventional wet and dry materials. Most of my work starts with sketched or photographed images which are developed in smaller scale before final work begins.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“To elevate, inspire and create thoughtful consideration regardless of medium or subject.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My recent exhibitions include: Florence Contemporary Gallery, Florence, Italy, 2024; Exhibizone - True Beauty, Vancouver, Canada, 2024; The Holy Art Gallery - London, UK, 2024; among others.”
