Banner artwork: Shawn McNulty, Mantle.
Acrylic and Pumice on Canvas, 2008. 24 x 24", black wood frame.
(Image cropped and reproduced for access+ENGAGE with permission of the artist)
About his work, McNulty writes: "My work is dependent on design fundamentals: form, color, and composition. I believe the most complex emotions can be evoked from the simplest of forms. My style explores the relationship between man-made structures and the natural world; the idea of recognizable shapes and structures living within irrational thoughts and emotions.
I begin a new piece very spontaneously and become more detailed as the composition starts to show itself. The process involves layering. The first layers are the most erratic and freeform, similar to automatic writing. An impasto style is used during this time creating thick textures. There are no preliminary sketches or notions of what is going to transpire. A dialogue is created with the painting, and it starts to show me what needs to be done.
My newer work has taken on more of a simplified composition, with many coming across as abstract landscapes. I'm still using vibrant colors in more of a color field format 
instead of the more chaotic arrangements of multicolored geometric shapes of past works. Also, I work exclusively with palette knives now, so thick layers of acrylic and pumice and are applied, scraped off, reapplied, sliced off, etc. The color fields interplay with each other, attempting to find common ground resulting in complex edges.
The process continues until a solution is found, always applying and mixing paint directly on the canvas, scraping away layers to reveal the ghostly characters of the previous. Determining when a painting is finished is a crucial and difficult step in my process."
About the artist: St. Paul-native Shawn McNulty is an active contemporary painter in the Minnesota art scene. He defines his style as "the idea of recognizable shapes and structures within an irrational environment with emphasis on form, color, and composition." The artist's work continues to reflect his admiration for Hans Hofmann, Mark Rothko, and Richard Diebenkorn, as well as the thoughtful instruction of his college art instructor, Richard Doolittle. He is a founding member of the 26 contemporary artists that created the artist-run collective Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis' Open Book center. McNulty is also working with the Miami Art Group Gallery in Miami, Florida.
See the artist's work in person:
You can see new work by the artist at the soon-to-open show at Rosalux Gallery, Pretty Please: New Work from Scott Wenner and Shawn McNulty. The exhibition's opening reception is scheduled for March 7, 7-11 pm; the show will be on view from March 4-31 at Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis. Admission is free and open to the public. (Click here for the Pretty Please press release and visit the Rosalux website for gallery hours, directions, and the like.)
Shawn McNulty will also open his studio at the Thorp (1618 Central Ave NE #217 Mpls, MN 55413) and invite the public in to see his work during this year's Art-A-Whirl in May.
Inquiries about specific pieces may be directed to the artist, and you can visit Shawn McNulty's own website, as well as his mnartists.org portfolio, to see many more examples of his distinctive paintings.