McKenna works in various methods of art making to instill a humble and engaging quality to familiar imagery. He is best known for his finely drawn paintings that explore a range of idiosyncratic Australian imagery, returning frequently to images of the domestic dog and family home. Using strong and simple techniques of watercolour painting, McKenna reveals an uncanny and compelling substance to these familiar suburban subject matters.
This exhibition focuses on McKenna’s love of animals and is a collection of paintings portraying cats, dogs, and horses, to speak of the complex attachment and bonds between pets and their families. “They are very sensitive to people’s mood, they have a memory, they dream when they are asleep”, explains McKenna.
Greenaway Art Gallery
3 to 28 July, 2013
South Australia
Sleeping with Pet, 2013, oil on plywood, 42 x 44cm
Courtesy the artist and Greenaway Art Gallery