Artist Info
Dora Helen Mackie
Born in Tavistock, Ontario, Dora Helen Mackie was a printmaker with a background in the sciences. She completed a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry at Queen’s University in 1947, a M.Sc. in Physiology and Biochemistry at the University of Toronto in 1949, and a BFA in Printmaking and Drawing from the University of Calgary in 1973. Mackie also studied at the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Alberta College of Art and Design, and Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops.
Mackie worked in woodblock, etching, charcoal, and watercolour to share memories of her childhood and personal experiences. Her prints illustrate her fascination with the prairies and prairie culture and her background in life sciences gave her a lasting interest in observing the natural world. Mackie’s works have been shown and collected around the world.
Her collection of primarily drawings including work by Jack Shadbolt, Norval Morrisseau, Illingworth Kerr, Roland Gissing and Jim and Marion Nicoll was donated in 2014 to the Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary, her alma mater.
