Orange Slice, Sunny McKinnon

SUNNY MCKINNON
FEATURE ARTIST NOVEMBER 2016

Sunny McKinnon is a Houston-based artist who takes inspiration from the beauty and variety of the Gulf Coast countryside. Her work jumps from black-and-white charcoal drawings to traditional oil paintings to, most recently, landscapes rendered in pastels.

This latest series is motivated by Texas’ flat coastal plains and inspired by the palettes of Fairfield Porter, Mark Rothko and Esteban Vicente. She studies at the MFAH Glassell School of Art and continues to challenge herself in workshops with artists throughout the country. She is a member of the Visual Arts Alliance and the Outdoor Painters Society. Sunny also writes and publishes the PSST monthly newsletter.

View Sunny's Website

PSST:  Do you have any tips you would like to share on marketing, exhibiting or social media?

SUNNY:  My professional background is in writing, working for agencies and companies in editorial, advertising and marketing writing. So, while that means I know the importance of marketing, it doesn’t make it any easier. My only advice would be do it all.

in the studio

PSST: Everyone loves a great studio. What is your painting setup?

SUNNY: My studio situation is ideal for me. I have a space in a building about 10 to 15 minutes from my home. The building is not in great shape, but it is nearby and my studio has excellent light. Best of all, there are a number of other artists in the building, including PSST member Caroline Ratliff, who is just across the hall from me. I share my space with two other artists. We collaborate on paintings, offer suggestions, challenge and encourage each other, share inspiration and laugh. A lot. The camaraderie is priceless. [There are currently a couple of vacancies in the building, just in case anyone is interested in joining us.]

Sunny's Studio

SQUARE TRIO 1, 2, 3

Square Trio 1

PSST:  We read so much about composition and value studies. What is your artistic process? Can you discuss the way in which you create artwork?

SUNNY;  My artistic process is best described as wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetics that is defined as ‘a view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.’ The imperfection, impermanence and incompletion I have mastered. The beauty, I’m still working on.
The process is the most important aspect to me. I enjoy the puzzle, the problem solving of finalizing the composition. Even when I’m working abstractly, I often start with a charcoal thumbnail sketch. Many times, I prefer the black-and-white sketch to the finished art.

Square Trio 2

PSST;  How do you describe your painting style and color choices?

SUNNY:  My painting style would probably be described as abstraction, based on realism. Color is hard for me, so I am always very cautious with choosing hues. I am easily influenced and I find I always want to try every new technique, every different media and every subject that comes across my path. On the wall, just above my drawing surface, I have a little card that says ‘you cannot chase two bunnies.’ It is there to remind me to stop and focus on one thing at a time. It doesn’t always work, but it helps.
Although the ink and the charcoal and the oil paints are lingering in my studio, I have been concentrating on pastels for the past three years. My pastels are abstracted or transitional landscapes. I am influenced by the images and color palettes of Milton Avery, Agnes Martin, Fairfield Porter, Mark Rothko and Esteban Vicente.

Square Trio 3

PSST:  Continued learning is important. Do you have a favorite workshop instructor or book that you would like to recommend and why? Tell us what events or classes you have coming up.

SUNNY:  I could be described as a professional art student. I love the MFAH Glassell School of Art and have taken classes and workshops there for many years. The professors are top notch and the environment is challenging and encouraging. I am a believer in the basics, so I often enroll in Glassell’s drawing classes that turn my focus to composition and expose me to a variety of different media, which often gets me in trouble with the bunnies. [See image below.]
My interest in pastels leans to the abstract and I have taken workshops with pastelists such as Jen Evenhus, Casey Klahn and Debora Stewart.

Two Bunnies, Sunny McKinnon