Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Tattoos by day, Renaissance by night

Don’t presume that an artist confines him or herself to one form; that  is rarely the case for the creative mind. Consider Patrick McDonagh, a man of many artistic talents—tattooist by day, musician at night and painter in-between. He works at The Collective, a tattoo shop and private studio/exhibit space in Point Place, where you can see his work and that of other Toledo area artists.

The Collective features McDonagh’s paintings, fired by a passion that was inspired by his mentor, Diana Attie, a renowned art professor from The University of Toledo, now retired. “I learned everything I know in art, and, basically, tattooing, in a way, from her. She taught me the importance of studying anatomy for portraiture and figure drawing, which is what I’ve always loved to draw,” McDonagh states. For him, drawing and tattooing are naturally blended, and painting is just the next step.

Statuesque

In the last year, since graduation in 2012, McDonagh’s penchant for all forms of visual art melded with the clear influence of classical fine art. “The paintings I do are of sculptures by masters from the Renaissance and Baroque periods,” he explains. His large, dramatic portraits are painted with a magnified perspective, focusing on facial features and muscle tone, offering a breath of life to works of marble. “I do close-ups of the statues because I really want to focus on anatomy, lighting and proportion. I just want to keep my art simple and natural,” McDonagh says.

Collective experience

In the two years that McDonagh has worked at The Collective, they have hosted four group exhibits requiring alterations to the space. “When we have a show, we move all our equipment out of the place and it’s pretty empty, then it is like an actual gallery for the opening,” says McDonagh. “The exhibit space is open to anyone who has a series of work, but it’s mainly me, the people I work with or my friends who will have a different exhibit up, which stays up until the next show.”

The next exhibit at The Collective is planned for January or February, with some possible live acoustic shows as well. Until then, The Collective will feature McDonagh’s art, as well as ink high-quality tattoos.

The Collective, 5113 Summit St. in Point Place, open everyday from noon-8pm. 419-725-0199.  mcdonaghtattoo.tumblr.com 

Recent Articles