Roy McMakin constructs sculpture and drawings that explore an engagement with domestic form. His artistic expression is not only formed through traditional painting and sculpture but also developes out of furniture and architecture. Thus he is able to imbue his sculpture and drawings with beauty, and humor.

Though his sculptures resemble useful/functional objects, McMakin transforms them leaving them open to many interpretations. In the exhibition, a chest of drawers floats off the floor while opposite, a sculpture of a lamp sinks into it. This playful give and take acts a vehicle for the artists to investigate formal concepts while distancing them from functionalism. In another work, the artist’s uses language to change the perception of the objects function. A belt buckle, once an object of use, is transformed through a play on words into an object of pure aesthetic form. Because his works are aligned with human scale through their connection to domestic objects, a familiarity is invoked. In the exhibition, McMakin disrupts our notion of the domestic realm, defining and challenging a relationship between art making a design. His inventive, eclectic approach not only stretches the boundaries of sculpture but also changes our perception of it.

Roy McMakin’s work is also currently on view in the exhibition “Baja to Vancouver” at the Seattle Art Museum. A retrospective of his work organized by MOCA in Los Angeles will open at the Henry Art Gallery in February 2004 and is accompanied by a catalogue published by D.A.P.

Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"
Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"	Untitled, 2003 Ink on paper 11" x 17"