Donna Jo Massie

Donna Jo Massie lives and works in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. Her art is inspired by her location in the Canadian Rockies. Backcountry huts and lodges in the mountains are the setting for some painting excursions. In 1986, she began to paint in watercolours, making it a full-time profession in 1988.

Donna Jo Massie’s basic philosophy as an educator and artist is that "art is teachable and learnable" and should be "fun". She teaches weekly adult watercolour classes, corporate and summer backcountry workshops, and Artist-in-Residence courses for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Her popular workshops have been presented by the Calgary Zoo, the Alpine Club of Canada and were the subject of an interview on CBC Radio.

Donna Jo Massie spends summers hiking in the mountains where she paints, photographs and sketches on location. This intimate knowledge and relationship with the land has led one Vancouver art critic to write about her art, ".... clear and crisp like her beloved mountains, she has a steady hand in a good eye for colour." Her flower paintings have also become known for their rich colour and bold composition.

Donna Jo Massie's work has been exhibited in galleries in Vancouver, Toronto, Banff, Jasper and New Mexico and can be found in numerous private and corporate collections.

Born 1948 in Qualla Boundary, Cherokee, North Carolina. Currently based in Canmore, AB. Nationality is Canadian.