Donna Mclean

I’d like to have a strong identity as a painter without committing to one theme so my subject matter is varied.
It pleases me to put things together that have no business being together, to create something appealing that has an unsettling undercurrent thats both seductive & disarming.
I paint bombs & reduce them to miniatures small enough to fit in a pocket, selfies that don’t show my face, sinister crime scenes filled with light.
I want polarity & paradox – dark/light, beauty/unease, seduction/aversion.
I’m interested in an aesthetic that isn’t too decorative or easy on the eye so i’m drawn to uneasy imagery I try to imbue with an eerie beauty that simultaneously comforts & disturbs.
I hope these tiny acts of transgression help that which is firmly rooted in the representational become less orthodox & nudges them towards something strange, recognised & unfamiliar.


Donna Mclean was born in Wigan & lives & works in London.
For many years she was represented by Beaux Arts London.
She has exhibited regularly in The RA Summer Show, shown in various exhibitions – Threadneedle Prize, NOA Prize, Pallant House Gallery, London Art Fair, GBS Gallery, Terrace Gallery, Beep Painting Prize.
In 2021 she was shortlisted for the CBP Prize.

artist’s website