The paintings in Donna Moylan’s one-woman show at Thompson Giroux Gallery were created between 2015-2017.  As a young painter Moylan lived and showed in Rome, then in galleries in New York, throughout the country, and the world.  Her own statement about this show provides a wonderful perspective on her work:

As I write this The New York Times is saying that the earth’s climate is heating and the oceans are rising; that nuclear missiles are searching for targets and leaders are threatening conflict; that antibiotic-resistant germs are getting into people’s bodies and health care is lacking; that people are taking drugs for fun — and dying.  Among other things.

Once upon a time, in the Age of Enlightenment, humans had a big project: We were going to be connected in every way — by foot, locomotion, air waves — and live peaceably. We would be amused at our differences, entertained by our inventiveness. If anybody got pissed off we would find ‘a way out’, we would find ‘solutions’.

Eventually there would be bridges everywhere, not only from spot to spot, from mind to mind.

The world would become gardened, bridges spanning wilderness, cultivation, waterways, mountains and forests. Cities would become tall with bridges and terraces, the giant buildings shaped like trees.

These days everyone can know lots of stuff. People are going everywhere, nosing into every culture, poking into every corner of the world — both in person and virtually. We are excited, we are dulled. Are we stitching our world together or have we forgotten? Are we part of that project or forming another? The earth, our pretty mother, is shrugging like a dreaming sleeper, maybe getting annoyed.

New to Earth, I’d take a walk, see some Nature, think things over.