Born in Scotland, Cim MacDonald came with her family to Victoria when she was seven. She completed her schooling with a Major in Art. After working for the Provincial Government in Victoria, she took a job in Crofton, where she spent the better part of 20 years.
MacDonald remembers painting greenware in post-war Scotland, sitting around the kitchen table with her mother, aunts and grandmother. When her father joined a seniors’ art class, he inspired MacDonald to try her hand at painting again. A number of courses later, she began to exhibit her art and to teach others to paint. She also hosted a beginner course in watercolour for television.
Because of her long affiliation with the lumber industry, MacDonald is known for her commissions of industrial and marine themes. Her paintings can be found in corporate collections including Rivtow and Fletcher Challenge Canada. IBM and Domtar have also included her work in their Canada-wide exhibitions.
MacDonald is a fine artist and photographer. Working from her home-based studio, she is surrounded by the ever-changing vistas that inspire her art. MacDonald’s photography is now recognized as much as her fine art. Her book, The Unexpected Birder, Book Two, was recently published.
MacDonald has been the Chemainus Festival of Murals Society curator since 1996.