David Mackay, Botanical Artist

 

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About the Artist

David Mackay was born in Sydney in 1958 and educated at James Ruse Agricultural High School and the University of Sydney. He learnt many of his painting skills under the private tutelage of the well-known artist, William T Cooper. His professional career as a botanical artist spans some 33 years (beginning at the Papua New Guinea National Botanic Gardens where he prepared orchid illustrations for publication during his school holidays). For sixteen of these years he worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney as Botanical Illustrator, taking an honours degree in botany at the University of Sydney during this period. In all, he has illustrated well over 100 scientific reference books and papers; almost 5000 of his drawings and paintings have been published. His work is described in various publications, including ‘A Passion for Plants - contemporary Botanical Masterworks’ by Shirley Sherwood, ‘Australia: 300 Years of Botanical Illustrations’ by Helen Hewsen and ‘Drawn from Life - the development of Botanical Illustration of Australian Plants’ by Ed Wilson. He has also authored or co-authored over 20 botanical publications of his own. A combination of skills and knowledge in art and science is strongly reflected in David Mackay’s work and, indeed, is essential to its successful creation. 

Since leaving the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney in 1995 to move to Armidale he has concentrated on his colour work, in watercolours and acrylics. He has had solo exhibitions in Australia and his work has been included in many group exhibitions in Australia and overseas, including at the Tryon Gallery, London, the Hunt Institute, USA, the Denver Art Museum, USA, the Smithsonian Institution, USA, the Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art, Tokyo, the NSW National Art Gallery, the New England Regional Art Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney where his work has been prominent every year in the annual ‘Botanica’ exhibitions.  

His work is represented in public collections in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the USA as well as in private collections around the world, including the collections of Shirley Sherwood in the UK and Isaac Sutton in the USA. He has painted numerous private commissions for collections in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA, and public commissions for a number of institutions in Australia and Papua New Guinea. 

He has taught classes in scientific illustration and botanical art at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and continues to teach small-group workshops as well as providing one-on-one tuition in his studio just out of Armidale. David lives in the countryside with his wife, Caroline, and two daughters, Ellis and Hilary.

 

 

For more complete biographical notes on David Mackay, including lists of exhibitions and publications, click here.