Jacky MacDonald was born in Hull and now resides in Ottawa where she paints from her studio just south of the cityJackys passion for painting was nurtured from an early age From the age of 5 she began accompanying her parents on frequent outings to the National Art Gallery of Canada She quickly developed a strong preference even at this age for oil on canvas landscapes and portraits She was encouraged by her parents to begin drawing at the early age of 7 and was soon after enrolled in drawing and painting courses offered locally to promising young artistsAt the age of 18 Jacky moved to Europe to continue her studies and be close to the works of the great masters on display in the museums of Paris Amsterdam Berlin and Madrid She used every spare minute of her three years abroad to visit and explore the countryside of Europe and was forever inspired to capture the essence of village life on canvas through richly coloured and textured landscapes and streetscapesWhen Jacky returned to Canada she studied fashion design with Richard Robinson with the intention to design costumes for the theatre Instead she went back to study at Ottawas two universities and eventually found positions with Algonquin College and the Ottawa Board of EducationJacky has studied at the Ottawa School of Art and for several years was part of a select group of students chosen to work and study in the studio of renowned artist Philip Craig Her paintings are bold and dramatic her specialty is street scenes and garden landscapes With a few brushstrokes Jacky is able to evoke a mood and create an ambience that is truly representative of France Italy and CanadaHer paintings are in a growing number of private and corporate collections In 1999 one of her pieces was selected as an official gift to Princess Astride of Belgium on the occasion of her first visit to Canada In 2014 one of Jackys designs was chosen by the Mint for the 2015 2000 fine silver coinautumn expressJacky works predominantly with oils but a few years ago began to experiment with the use of acrylics She is equally comfortable with the brush and the pallet knifeJackys works are on display at Koyman Galleries in Ottawa