City Highlights represents direction I tried years ago and never explored. It also a premonition of the raw things-as-they-are use of materials that marks my current work. The grid is lumber crayon or litho crayon. I sealed the paper with shellac, then went in with acrylics and very soft pencil. The colors in it I painted on fast, with as little thought as possible. The “birds” started with a stray mark I liked. I like the determination and energy of the grid, thrown down, a quick frame to hang colors on. The shellac adds great texture. I never meant to keep this, much less show it. This drawing lay at the bottom of a drawer for fifteen years. I discovered it recently. It was an exciting to find, a gift from my younger self.

James Mckenna

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As an undergraduate James McKenna studied metalsmithing. In years after, he worked in a variety of creative fields. In the early 2000s he returned to metal, this time to steel, and his practice evolved into assemblages of steel and other materials. In 2023 he received an MFA from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at University of Cincinnati. These days he is experimenting with materials and processes and looking at his artworks from years past. Returning to 2D work, he is finding ways to extend his rough-edged work in steel, wood, and canvas into flat media. He lives near Cincinnati, Ohio.