My name is John McDonald and I am known as the Butterfly Cry Artist. I painted Butterfly Cry in Derby, UK, in 2016. The painting, a creative and expressive portrait, of an artist I call my Mexican Heroine, had a strange power even then.

You can read quite a lot into my practice from my artist statement, but I would like to share the story of how I became the Butterfly Cry Artist, and the transformative power of what came out of it.

In March 2021 my painting Butterfly Cry, along with three other portraits of My Mexican Heroine, has been officially licensed to PSTR Studios, a Fine Art Print company, based in The Netherlands. I am pleased and proud to be part of an international collaboration, and happy to offer such high quality licensed reproductions direct from PSTR Studios.

2023-11-04

Quinta del Sordo Gallery

An intimate and beautiful gallery situated in the historic village of Cromford Derbyshire.

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Short Films

Another person who pushed open my front door was award-winning film maker Joshua Timmins, then a first year undergraduate: he saw me painting through the window and asked if he could make a film with me about my art. He called the film ‘Butterfly Cry’ from the title of my painting, and it was widely shared; I used the same name for my first solo exhibition, and it was around then that people started to call me ‘the Butterfly Cry Artist’. The second film ‘Swan’s Signature’ was nominated for several international film festivals, and awarded the Royal Television Society Award for best short factual.

 

Watch Swan's Signature

Residencies

I have recently undertaken work as an artist where there is more sustained engagement. The revelation to me, following sculpture project with Aegir School as a lead artist for Arts Council England’s ‘Splash!’ project, and working as artist in residence at Chapel Arts Studios in Andover (Unlimited CAS: AIR Themes of Life), is that working with people to unleash their creativity is one of the most important parts of my practice.

Browse Work...

John MacDonald Kelvingrove

A Glasgow Affair

SOLD

A Moment in Time 150 x 100 cm Oil on Canvas available for sale

A Moment In Time

£3000
Prints Available

A Room With A View Without acrylic on canvas 60 x 90 cm

A Room With A View Without

£490
Prints Available

A Wee Sweetie 150 x 100 cm Acrylic on Canvas AVAILABLE FOR SALE

A Wee Sweetie

SOLD
Prints Available

Blue Trees and Butterflies 104 x 82 cm Acrylic on Canvas SOLD use as main image for gallery and A4 prints

Blue Trees & Butterflies

SOLD
Prints Available

Butteryfly Cry © John McDonald

Butterfly Cry

SOLD
Prints Available

Dare You

Dare You

SOLD
Prints Available

Et Tu Mankind Acrylic on Canvas 100 x 200 cm AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Et Tu ManKind

£4000
Prints Available

Eveline An Irish Heroine 127 x 100 cm Oil on Canvas ORIGINAL AVAILABLE

Eveline An Irish Heroine

£4000
Prints Available

Highland Scullery 60 x 50 cm Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

Highland Scullery

SOLD
Prints Available

Inocencia 112 x 112 cm Pencil and Oil on Canvas SOLD

Inocencia

SOLD
Prints Available

Last Glance

Last Glance

SOLD
Prints Available

Leaving 100 x 150 cm Oil on Canvas AVAILABLE FOR SALE use as gallery image and A4 print image

Leaving

SOLD
Prints Available

Life of McBrian 150 x 120 cm Acrylic on Canvas AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Life Of McBrian

£4000
Prints Available

Looking Glass Acrylic on Canvas 100 x 150 cm Available for Sale

Looking Glass

£3000
Prints Available

Mother God Avrylic on canvas 100 x 150 cm AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Mother God

£2500
Prints Available

One Love Acrylic on Canvas 170 x 71 cm AVAILABLE FOR SALE

One Love

SOLD
Prints Available

The Art Collector Acrylic on Canvas 60 x 60 cm SOLD

The Art Collector

SOLD
Prints Available

The big yins 100 x 150 cm Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

The Big Yins

SOLD
Prints Available

Tiffany A Girl of Glasgow 150 x 100 cm Girl Acrylic on Canvas AVAILABLE FOR SALE use as gallery image

Tiffany A Girl of Glasgow

SOLD

With portrait of a Mexican Heroine 91 x 122 cm Acrylic on Canvas Available

With

£1450
Prints Available

Without 150 x 100 cm Acrylic on Canvas SOLD

Without

SOLD
Prints Available