ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lisa MacDonald is a visual artist, contemporary painter, illustrator and maker based in Jersey, Channel Islands. Life in Jersey - a tiny nine-by-five-mile island just off the coast of France - has inspired her interest in small worlds, whimsical landscapes and the themes of entrapment and escape.
She is married to her husband Simon - an English teacher and writer - and together they have four grown up children and three grandchildren. A notorious collector of waifs and strays, Lisa has owned many pets in her life, some of whom you will notice rendered in her paintings. Currently, she has a relatively small menagerie consisting of a cockapoo with a cleft paw called Nico and an almost 100-year-old tortoise.
In addition to her contemporary art practice, Lisa is an art teacher, puppet-maker, writer and illustrator of children's books and colouring books and a homeware designer. Read on for more about Lisa's other creative pursuits...
MOLLYMAC
Lisa started home decor brand MollyMac back in 2009. All hand-drawn by Lisa, MollyMac offers a range of vibrant and playful homeware, art prints and greetings cards often inspired by British wildlife and nature.
In addition to being selected by Mary Portas to design an exclusive range for House of Fraser, MollyMac has created bespoke designs for multiple tourism destinations across Jersey and the UK.
WRITING & ILLUSTRATION
As another string to her bow, Lisa self-publishes books she has written and illustrated on Amazon. These include: 'This Garden is Magic', an educational children's book for 3-7 year olds all about the power of gardening with your family, and 'Come on a Dream Walk', a mindfulness adult colouring book with a story for creative relaxation.
Lisa is currently working on a number of new titles...
PUPPETS & PROPS
Had she known it was a job when she was younger, Lisa would have loved to have become a puppet and prop-maker for theatre, film and TV. However, she has had the opportunity to pursue this vocation through her collaborations with theatre company Mezzanine Productions.
Mezzanine are a multi-disciplinary theatre-making company combining storytelling, physical theatre, puppetry, film and projection, music and sound, and fine art visuals.
ADULT EDUCATION
Alongside her own creative practice, Lisa is passionate about encouraging others to hone their own forms of artistic expression.
Lisa has always been a strong advocate of the arts, and fundamentally believes that anyone can learn to draw and paint, when given the right tools.
She currently works in the Adult Education Department of Highlands College offering a range of Art Studio, Painting and Drawing workshops for adults.