James Macdonell Retrospective 2004-2024

As a teenager James Macdonell began working summer jobs on the island of Captiva, FL for celebrated, noted and famed artist Robert Rauschenberg. For James, this was the beginning of a transformative period that reshaped his perceptions, worldview, and aesthetic vision. He observed, firsthand, Rauschenberg's practice and processes; mainly the technical dynamics of producing large integrated structural paintings (Combines). In assemblage, James absorbed the symbolism, interpreted values, and developed a sense of place and order for his own work. This association of being in the inner circle and their friendship spanned more than three decades until Rauschenberg's death in 2008.