Danielle McKinney on Painting, Rest, and Interior Life

Danielle McKinney, an artist from Montgomery, Alabama, started with photography before switching to painting during the pandemic. She centers her work on women in domestic spaces, and her art has been featured in major exhibitions like "Shelter" at the Norton Museum of Art and "Forest for the Trees" at the Marianne Boesky Gallery. In a chat with Whitewall, she explained how her photography background sharpened her understanding of emotional details through cropping. Her "Shelter" show represents a key moment in her career, showcasing her shift from structured to more fluid styles. McKinney emphasizes the importance of rest, particularly regarding Black femininity, and her new watercolors blend figures with their environments. Her pieces often begin with rich black backgrounds, enhancing light and shadow contrasts. Her work is part of esteemed collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum, as she aims to keep intimacy and emotional resonance even as her audience grows.