^{Untitled painting by abstract artist David Mackenzie, featured in a memorial show for the artist. The 26-piece show is currently on view at the Dunderberg Gallery in Gilbertsville. (Photo by Daniel Velle)}

Gallery Hosts Memorial Show for ‘an Artist’s Artist,’ David Mackenzie

By TERESA WINCHESTER
GILBERTSVILLE

On June 24 at 6:15 p.m., Marcus Villagran—owner of the Dunderberg Gallery at 118 Marion Avenue in Gilbertsville—will host an art opening for the works of abstract artist David Mackenzie, who died in June of 2020. At the reception, which is free and open to the public, attendees will have an opportunity to share their thoughts on Mackenzie and his work.

Villagran and Mackenzie were long-time friends, having met in Southern California in the 1970s.

“Whenever David finished a new series of paintings, he would always let me know. He knew I would pick one out,” said Villagran, who owns “a dozen or so” of Mackenzie’s works.

Six of the 26 paintings in the show are part of Villagran’s personal collection. The remainder are works selected by Mackenzie’s widow, Martha Mackey, who now lives in Joshua Tree, California. The paintings are currently on view at the gallery, which is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will remain on view indefinitely after the June 24 opening.

“I loved David’s work and always look forward to any opportunity to sit and engage in it. I feel privileged to be able to show his work here because most of the time his work is shown in large, prestigious galleries,” Villagran said.

The great majority of Mackenzie’s paintings are untitled, referenced only by a number and a date.

“David had a total love for open space. He was entranced with developing the simplest changes in the canvas. Everything is abstract, totally without figurative referrals. The picture plane was his god,” Villagran said.

To effect the “simplest changes” referred to by Villagran, Mackenzie would sometimes lay a string or small piece of wood on the canvas before applying paint, thus creating shadows. He painted with acrylics, preferring those made locally by Golden Artist Colors, according to Villagran. Mackenzie liked to experiment with mixed glazes, a likely outgrowth of his work in ceramics.

“His colors are the accent that represent the natural world,” Villagran said of Mackenzie’s work.

Looking at the painting referenced as “#3-2020” in the gallery show, Villagran said that it was from Mackenzie’s last show, held in California at the Joshua Tree Art Gallery.

“It shows the closest approach he made toward three-dimensional, using skill with geometry within all these maps on the canvas. You have to interpret different lines. You can see how lighting is important to the strings (beneath the paint). There are tiny details that are remarkable. He used texture in an interesting way, to delineate perspective. If you can follow the texture of the surface, you can see where he’s going with perspective. These pieces take meditation,” Villagran said.

Mackenzie began painting at age 12, eventually earning a Master of Fine Arts degree at the San Francisco Art Institute. From 2005 to 2019, Mackenzie and Mackey lived in Morris. He enjoyed being part of a community and particularly liked having breakfasts at Nicole’s Family Diner.

“He was earnest and experimental, always trying to push himself to do better, both personally and in his art. He cared about his community, both the art community and the broader community. I’m grateful to Marcus and Elizabeth [Nields] for their role in making this happen. They are wonderful hosts and wonderful friends,” Mackey said.

According to Mackey, highlights of her husband’s career were inclusion in the 1975 Whitney Biennial: Contemporary American Art, receiving a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, also in 1975, and a Pollock-Krasner grant in 2004. Collections featuring Mackenzie’s work include Art Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State; The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; and, in New York City, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Modern Art, Library Special Collections; New York Public Library, Special Collections. In California, Mackenzie’s work is in the Oakland Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Mills College Art Gallery and the Rene di Rosa Foundation.

Preceding the art show, Killdeer Trio will perform at 5 p.m. Admission will be charged. For information, call the gallery at (607) 783-2010.