McDonald finds beauty in the macabre

When Scott McDonald clocks out as a custodial manager on campus, he turns to a new environment where he transforms death into beauty with his art. 

McDonald is a self-taught artist who uses watercolor to explore what he calls an unavoidable aspect of human existence. Through his brush, he works to depict bodies, hands and skulls to evoke a sense of beauty and symmetry with a topic that often feels unsettling or uncomfortable.

“[Death] is a part of our lives. Everyone is going to deal with it; it’s a part of life. So I like to think that I want to show it as not scary, not dark, but as something more realistic,” McDonald said when describing what he hopes to achieve with his art.

His work also draws kudos, including him earning the Best Newcomer award at the 2022 Lincoln Arts Festival, where he was featured as an emerging artist. 

University Communication and Marketing’s Tavion Davis sat down with McDonald recently to talk about his work — both on campus and in his home studio. 

What made you want to start learning how to draw? 

I’ve always been interested in art as a kid, drawing with paint and crayons in class, and some of the more creative activities in class. Since then, it’s always stuck with me as something I knew that I wanted to do.  

High school was when I was lucky enough to be part of the LPS Arts and Humanities Focus Program. It was the second year they were open. I was not a great student at all, and I was actually on the way to almost getting kicked out of high school. Luckily, I was able to go to Arts and Humanities and I think that was a turning point for me. It kind of showed me that I could have an opportunity to do art as a thing.

Three skull paintings by Scott McDonald.

Three skull paintings by Scott McDonald. His work has been featured in exhibitions across Lincoln. Learn more about McDonald’s work at https://scottmcdonaldartist.com.

Talk about your journey working up from custodial staff to a managerial position. 

It started when I was 22, and I was looking for a job and had some custodial experience from a past job. I joined as a custodian and saw the potential to move up and continue my employment at the university. I’ve been with the university for 16 years now, and I always tell people I sort of fell up. 

I always enjoyed busy work and I’m a big night person, so working nights has been a great experience for me. Since then, I’ve been able to work with a lot of different people, and it’s been a great experience.  

Has anyone at the university had a significant impact on you or your art? 

No one specifically, but as a custodian I’m allowed to wander around some of the other buildings. So I’ll wander through some of the art buildings and check out other people’s work. It’s fun to see students work throughout the years and secretly be a part of that experience. 

Who or what inspires your art? 

I started painting with watercolor about 10 years ago, and I had never painted with it before. I’ve always been kind of influenced by the classics, but I’m not traditionally trained at all. So I struggle when people ask me about my art because I don’t have a strong art history background.  

Specifically, I like to draw influence from a lot of different artists like William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Salvador Dalí and Jeremy Geddes.  

Was there a point in your life where a light bulb went on that you wanted to pursue art? 

I stopped doing art for a long time, but one day I drew a picture for a friend. They had an idea for something they wanted, and I just drew the picture for it and I was like, oh yeah, I forgot how much I like this. That turned into wanting to do something for myself, and it kept snowballing from there. And then my wife just randomly set me up for a show at a coffee house. She didn’t tell me; she just told the owner that I was going to do it. So that pushed me.  

That was my starting point, and I started showing my art at coffee houses around town, and then bars, and that led to galleries and things like that. It’s been pretty exciting. 

What’s the most unusual or surprising thing you’ve used to create a piece of art?  

Since I started showing off my art, I’ve been collecting replica skulls and things like that. I’ve been building up my collection more and more. So people are kind of weirded out when they come into my studio and there’s a gallery of skulls around. Other than that, my art is pretty straightforward. 

Take us through your journey as an artist. How has your art evolved over the years? 

When I first started, I was painting in a strange, abstract, cartoony style. People called it dark, I guess. I like to paint a lot of skulls and a lot of pieces that represent life and death, so it’s definitely evolved from kind of a strange abstract style to more realistic pieces that focus on anatomy. 

What would you tell current students, graduates or faculty working hard to achieve their dreams?  

For me, I found that I started saying yes more, and that helped me get over a fear of showing my work. Eventually, there’s going to be the right person who sees your work and makes it all worth it. One step always led to another show and to the next, and that’s how it’s been for me. I would say don’t be afraid to show off your work, because you never know what can happen.

Scott McDonald sitting at his artist desk in his home studio with skulls in a cabinet in the background.

Scott McDonald sits in his home studio, which includes a cabinet (left) with skulls and other items he uses for reference in his artwork.

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