JOSEPH MCDONNELL

Joseph McDonnell’s half century of exploration of abstract and figurative sculpture in stone, bronze and steel gave him the solid reputation of a major force in late modern sculpture, and by the eighties, he was recognized for his strongly geometric, yet fluid locking pieces, cube compositions and monumental, multi-faceted gates. More recently, McDonnell reinvented himself as he began working with a medium that had fascinated him since childhood, when he would melt glass rods over the stove to create quirky animals. His glass ice cubes, and the later interpretation of the subject in resin for outdoor installations, often stacked or aggregated into horizontal groupings, can be seen as a logical evolution for a sculptor who had repeatedly proven he was willing to work hard and take risks.