Discover the Art of Davy Macdonald

"Working at speed with an unconscious driving force"

I'm a contemporary artist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. My last exhibition, “Dyed in the Wool" was part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025. The feedback and community engagement for the project was incredible. You can read all about it here;

To read my approach to Abstract painting please see here..

Abstract - Figurative - Conceptual

Stories - Ideas - Concepts - Unconscious creation & mark making - Asemic symbolisation

About

Connection - These three strands are not separate but interwoven parts of the same language. The figurative gives form, the abstract gives emotion, and the conceptual gives meaning. Each discipline informs the others.

Together, they reflect a dialogue between the seen, the felt, and the imagined. A restless continum of ideas and expression.

"Hardly have I finished one painting than something urges me to paint another, and then a third, and then fourth. I paint ceaselessly. I am, as it were, on a treadmill. I hurry for ever from one idea to another, and can't help myself."

(My adaptation of Chekhov's quote by Trigorin in his play the Seagull.)

Thanks to everyone that came into the Gallery for your continuing support, it is very much appreciated.

The conceptual are ideas and stories I want to explore. Some are in my own imagined landscapes while others use my historic home city of Edinburgh or the religious essence of St Andrews. History, mythology, religion, archetypes are all rich sources of inspiration, stimulus and motivation.

My work spans figurative, abstract, and conceptual painting, each discipline informing the next. I’m constantly searching for stories, ideas, and concepts, guided by an unconscious creative force that shapes my process through instinctive mark-making and asemic symbolisation.

The figurative projects such as “The Herring Lassies” or “Harris Tweed” heritage allow me to recreate lost Scottish historical traditions and my “Aspects of Edinburgh” series lets me weave stories with backgrounds and elements of my beautiful home city which is a continual source of inspiration. I try to present a layered narrative within each painting and often across multiple paintings in a connected series.

My abstract paintings focus on rhythm, movement, and colour as a pictorial language of asemic shapes and symbols. They translate emotion and unconscious connection into abstract shape and patterns.

Interwoven Connection

Restless Creative Momentum

One painting always leading inevitably to the next

Exhibitions

Aug 2025 - "Dyed in the Wool", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh - Exhibition Review

Aug 2024 - "15 - Equinox", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh - Exhibition Review

Aug 2023 - "AOE -The Dene", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh - Exhibition Review

July 2022 - "Old Course - St Andrews", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Aug 2021 - "Stories in the Stone", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Aug 2019 - "Aspects of Edinburgh II", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Jun 2018 - "Red Cloaks", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

​Jul 2017 - "New Growth", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Apr 2017 - "A Sense of Scotland", St Pancras Crypt Gallery, London

Aug 2016 - "Seacliff Heritage", Gallery 17, Edinburgh

Aug 2015 - "Herring Lassies II", Gallery 17, Edinburgh

Mar 2015 - "Gothic Edinburgh", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Mar 2014 - "Aspects of Edinburgh", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Jun 2013 - "Harris Tweed - An Inspiring Heritage", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Mar 2012 - "The Herring Lassies", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

May 2011 - "Anatomical", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Nov 2010 - "The Absinthe Diaries", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Oct 2010 - Affordable Art Fair, London Sep 2010 - The Edinburgh Gallery, Edinburgh

Jul 2010 - Adam Street Club, London

Dec 2009 - Henderson Gallery, Edinburgh

Sep 2009 - "Dante Confrontations" - Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Upcoming Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions

Aug 2026 - "Edinburgh Fringe 2026", Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh

Get in Touch

We'd love to hear from you! Reach out for inquiries about our original paintings, limited edition prints or any other questions you may have.

Email

dmac@dmacart.com