Pat McDonald was born in 1965 at Watertown, Minnesota. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. He completed his Masters of Fine Arts at Northern Illinois University in painting. His interest in making sculpture and the direction of his work has been strongly influenced by family and friends.

McDonald’s current medium is concrete and steel. The nature of these materials has allowed him to display his interest in mass and elegance. The large-scale pieces range in weight from 1 ton to 35 tons. The massive size of his work has forced him to think creatively to address structural issues.

His studio in Oak Park, Illinois is a place of experimentation. His studio in Watertown, Minnesota is the place his large scale work is fabricated. From one or both of these studios he is always working on several new pieces for a number of exhibitions in the Midwest and the East Coast. Above all else, his passion for sculpture is clear as he exclaims, “If it wasn’t fun, I would not do it!”