Untitled, from the series Animals I have known

This drawing is from a group of works titled 'Animals I have known' 2015–16, which lays bare the emotional and psychological importance of animals to Noel McKenna. His creatures, both domestic and wild, document the passing of time through incidents and anecdotes, and emphasise the enmeshed spheres of people and animals, through his own particular story.

Drawing is an ongoing part of McKenna’s practice, informing much of his painting and printmaking as well as being a discrete aspect of his oeuvre. His art is based in his own experience; this series grew from rekindled memories of his childhood, recalling significant animals he encountered as a boy and extending to other important animals in his life to the present.
McKenna describes these drawings as portraits, investing his subjects with a significance and depth of personality more commonly reserved for people. The two larger, more densely worked drawings incorporate text that gives a detailed and compelling account of the artist’s life and the impact of animals on it.