Donna Mckno

This page is feedback from past commissions.

Andy Hunter.2010.

“I’ve commissioned three different pieces form Donna-all very different and for different reasons.

The first piece was ‘Lily’,I have owned show-jumping horses,and a particularly successful one,TaomieStar,had been injured and was put to foal.Lily was born on an august afternoon,and my first sight of her was less than 24 hours later,when I took some long distance photographs of the foal with the mare.

One shot was so beautiful,that I wanted to take it further.I had seen some of Donna’s work including her original ‘Marilyn Monroe’ and loved it,and I just had a feeling that her style would transfer to the picture of Lily.Donna did a brilliant job.lily’s a chestnut with white markings,and Donna has interpreted the foal’s colours and movements wonderfully-it had just woken up from a snooze in the buttercup- laden meadow-and the simplicity of the meadow only enhances the real focus of the work,the foal itself.Its a treasure and the results are there for me to see when I wake up everyday.

Having seen Donna’s original ‘Marilyn’,I reflected on a favorite shot of my partner Louise.We were on holiday in France,and were on a beautiful beach in Charente-Maritime.Louise had decided to sunbathe,how should web say,’au naturel’,and I had surprised her with a photo.It is so similar to ‘Marilyn’ that I asked Donna to do her magic on it,for a christmas present.Not only does Louise love,hangs it in her lounge-but even her teenage sons have a sneaking admiration for it.Praise indeed”

“By now,having commissioned ‘Lily’ and ‘Louby’,I was intrigued.I wondered whether Donna’s work would translate onto other ‘media’,and so to investigate,I stretched the imagination a bit.Around ten years ago,I had bought a stone ‘penguin’ from Chatsworth House in Derbyshire,England.He was christened ‘Earl’,but unfortunately,he had been left to deteriorate somewhat in the garden.

‘Earl’ stands at around 2ft tall and is very heavy,whilst Donna was keen to experiment on him,I had to ‘lug’ him to her studio.I left him to Donna’s ‘devices’,and was amazed at the outcome! Earl made his ‘debut’ at a dinner party,where he was the centerpeice on the table! He now right by my front door,and welcomes every guest into the house! Some people even acknowledge him now!

Earl is unique.He’s fantastic and I love him.It’s so special to have a piece such a s Earl.He is truly one of a kind.