When an artist embarks on the creation of a series of works it is an indication that a theme of importance links the individual pieces – perhaps each reflects a different facet of an experience or idea, or communicates a distinct feeling that has another layer of meaning when viewed in the context of the series. Like different colored threads in a tapestry, the separate pieces play a part in a greater whole. Richard MacDonald has always been an artist who soaks up the experiences of everyday life through intense observation, and then transform that raw material into works of art that reflect internal states of being, not simply the physical. The Contemporary Female Nudes series of sculptures takes Richard MacDonald’s a step further along the path of re-envisioning the role of the figure in contemporary art. Stunningly contemporary both in style and concept, the self-contained nature of the individual figures makes a statement about independence and strength: elements Richard MacDonald never overlooks in his understanding of the female identity. Totemic in their strength, with the slender column rising from the earth, the figures themselves carry an atmosphere with them: suggestive of water or air, warmth and light. Each figure is wrapping herself in an embrace, poised, calm and balanced, these figures are made of soft, flowing shapes that spiral and curve. This series highlights an interesting paradox: they work as purely abstract shapes, while being completely figurative and representative in nature. There are four works in this series that have been created on a column, and that stand alone without the extended column: Essence, Verity, Liberty and Clarity.