By Donald Schenkel
57 x 32 cm, 2023
Oil paint on paper with walnut frame

Opposite to the expanse of lightness, there is the depth expressed by shadows. The series Archaic Shadows is grounded in this depth, found in gradients where lighter colours dissolve into darkening twilights. For Donald, the book ‘In Praise of Shadows’ points out the beauty of what we would consider darkness, and that befits the sensibility of these artworks. Shadows linger on the edge of the unknown, mystical and dark.The works part of this series sparked his attention to the object, the artefact and the archaic. This sensation of the ancient and otherworldly fits Donald’s idea of a silent wonder well. Yet, it contains a potency to be further explored.