Marion MacDonald

Our Sixth Featured Bayview Artist is Marion MacDonald, winner of the Phyllis Forrest Memorial Floral Award.

I was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and moved to Canada in my early teens.  During my early elementary education in Scotland, I was always a botanist at heart and was encouraged to express my interest in plant life in watercolour.  After coming to Canada, in order to earn money while in school, I did floral arranging for parties and holidays.  This also provided access to plant material year round which I could sketch and study.

 I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from York University while raising my family of five.  During this time I worked in business, floral design, visual merchandising, and taught visual and floral art courses. After my family was educated, with encouragement from my husband Paul and my children, I returned to art.  I started painting seriously ten years ago and work mainly in watercolour and acrylic.   I helped establish and develop the Art Program for the Thornhill Seniors Club.  I also developed Art Programs for preschool children to ignite and fire the innate desire we all have to paint and draw.  I have been an active member of the Bayview Watercolour Society for the past six years, and the Toronto Watercolour Society for two. 

Early botanical education left a passion to depict plant life in fervent detail which has evolved to also allow loose abstract representations of plants amidst rocks, earth and water.   I try to evoke emotion in my work and often depict the interaction of people with the elements.  My work is in private collections in Canada, United States and Britain.

The purpose of my art is to inspire hope and find life and light in the shadows...
 But first you must Believe                              Marion