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David McDonald
Looking to the natural world for inspiration, David
McDonald makes “Shield Mandalas” from clay. As
defined by Jung, “mandala,” a Sanskrit word, is a
geometric projection of the world reduced to an
essential pattern and used for contemplation or
meditation.
The shape of McDonald’s shields is inherently organic;
their contours are formed in a cloth sling to create an
arch much like a sand dollar or tortoise shell. Treating
each piece like a canvas, McDonald decorates the
circle, telling a story. He frequently incorporates
archetypal images, such as ladders, pools of water,
landscapes, glimpses through microscopes and
telescopes – themes found in cultures throughout the
world. McDonald has studied extensively in Japan with
the pottery masters of that country.
McDonald pours as many as seven glazes over one
another, using hot wax brushwork to resist between the
layers in a batik-like technique. He fires the work in a
natural gas kiln in a reduction atmosphere to 2400
degrees F.
“I have always appreciated the organic mystery of
nature's hand at work on the land, and search for ways
to take my work toward that kind of living artistry. This
craft reminds me of a man-made geological process,
where I take all kinds of earth materials, mix them
together with water and fire and air, and then wait as
something alchemical takes place in the kiln. When I’m
lucky, I feel as though I’ve collaborated with nature in
making clay come alive.”
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