October 26 — December 7, 2024
Awash
Marcelyn McNeil
Conduit Gallery is honored to announce a solo show of new paintings and works on paper by Dallas-based artist Marcelyn McNeil.
Marcelyn McNeil creates both intimate and large-scale artworks on canvas and paper that initiate primarily through pouring methods followed by a sequence of considered responses. Built and unbuilt from multiple layers of paint, McNeil’s canvases balance clear and elemental simplicity with depth and mystery.
The paintings in the exhibition embody a kind of “material kismet”, where ink and oil pigments merge in unconventional, serendipitous ways. By staying attuned to the evolving possibilities of the materials, McNeil strives to produce work that resonates with the viewer on a contemplative level. Recurring motifs—suggested doorways, portals, and horizon lines—naturally spark curiosity and invite reflection. In addition to the large and small canvases, the exhibition will include a series of small works on paper.
“It’s been a rough few years in this country - while in studio my response has been to create work that feels quiet and introspective”, says McNeil. “I’ve been thinking about the Japanese concept of Yohaku no bi, or ‘the beauty of empty space.’ By stripping away visual and conceptual clutter, I hope to cultivate a sense of relief and craft a space for escape and daydreaming.”
Born in Kansas, Marcelyn McNeil received an MFA from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Solo exhibitions of McNeil’s work have taken place at: Conduit Gallery in Dallas, Texas; Lawndale Art Center in Houston, Texas; Galveston Art Center in Galveston, Texas; Kathryn Markel in New York City; Robischon in Denver, Colorado; and Central Features in Albuquerque, New Mexico; among others. Group exhibitions including McNeil’s work have taken place at: San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas; Denny Gallery in New York City; Wilding Cran Gallery in Los Angeles, California; McClain Gallery in Houston, Texas; and Joymore Gallery in Chicago, Illinois; among others. McNeil’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas and the San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas. A monograph, Marcelyn McNeil Works, was published by Radius Books in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2022. Included in the book are writings by Hesse McGraw, Executive Director at CAM Houston in Texas, and Alison Hearst, a curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas. McNeil lives and works in Dallas, Texas.