David Mc Kenzie

About The Artist

David McKenzie, the artist, is a reflection of our new age of communication technology. He brings the strong influence of graphics and fine arts techniques to his paintings: bold shapes and vibrant, luminous colors. His abstract, yet organized forms reflect late 20th Century directions in art. He enjoys synchronizing his visual art with other forms of communication, particularly music." The vibes, tones and rhythms of music, " says McKenzie, " have helped to strengthen my imagination as an artist."

McKenzie's background in various forms of art began when he attended the first New York High School of Printing, the New York Institute of Photography, and Columbia Broadcasting School in New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and Creative Arts from the State University of Old Westbury, Long Island, New York. His practical experience during the early 70's included working for Shorewood Publisher's art reproduction house in New York City, which specialized in lithographic reproductions of famous artists' paintings.

Over the last decade, McKenzie, a Vietnam veteran, has combined his talent as an artist with his professional experience and skills as an art director, pre-press printing specialist, photographer, and computer graphics specialist. His commitment to producing original artwork and his sense of connoisseurship about doing so have made him reluctant to use popular forms of reproduction such as lithographs, seriographs, and giclee, which he says can inadvertently devalue one's artwork by saturating the market with secondhand versions of one's creativity and artistic expression. Instead, he employs his expertise as a photographer to produce photo paintings, which he then garnishes with his signature 18k gold oil-based inscription.

One poignant manifestation of how these two art forms photography and painting come together for McKenzie is in his "Montage" series. Originally a photo he took of the bronze and black World Trade Center sculpture by Fritz Koenig, the paintings represent McKenzie's desire to soften what struck him as a harsh, militaristic image. Although the spherical sculpture was supposed to be a symbol of peace through world trade, McKenzie felt it resembled buckshot, a perspective he admits may have been colored by the fact that he was a recent veteran when he first saw the sculpture. The "Montage" series, in hues of blue, green, lavender, and pink, represents a revision of the original image he captured in his photo. In the wake of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, his resistance to the sculpture and his painting to revise its militaristic impression were prophetic.

McKenzie's large, occasionally erotic, paintings are never so abstract that the original organic forms are lost, so the viewer has "reality" to hang on to. Through the use of bright colors, bold curves, and vibrant tones, he expresses a love of life, confidence, and attention to rhythm that give his work its unique identity.

He is currently writing an autobiographical novel whose working title is "Letters To My Children," a book he hopes will inspire young people to make better decisions as they cope with the challenges of life.

McKenzie invites you to view his paintings in the spirit of pure, warm, unintimidated fun and imagination.