About the Artist

Spencer Mackay was born and raised in Southern California, the son of a well-respected industrial designer and watercolor painter.  That combination of environment and genetics contributed to a passion for art and design that continues to evolve and strengthen.

Growing up watching his father run a successful design firm and finding time to paint beautiful watercolor paintings in between projects, Spencer eventually succumbed to the irresistible attraction of art and design and enrolled at the world-renowned Art Center College of Design, majoring in Product Design.   One of the benefits of studying at Art Center was the opportunity to take classes outside of the major.  Spencer took as many classes as he could from Golden Age illustrators and painters such as Joe Henninger and Jack Leynwood.  Communicating design is about portraying a product concept through an artistic representation.  Part of that training included watercolor painting as a discipline.

Spencer’s professional career has allowed him many opportunities for international travel to Europe, Asia and South America.  He has made a habit of carrying a watercolor kit with him to sketch and paint the scenes he encounters.   Several years ago, at the urging of one of his sons, he started a blog entitled “sketchpainting.blogspot.com” in order to share some of these paintings online.  He now has an international following of like-minded fellow artists and painters on Flicker.

This plein air approach to watercolor painting on location has been a joy and each painting becomes a mental and sensorial imprint of a moment in time that can be recalled again and again in a way not possible in photography.

Spencer’s watercolorist “heros” are his late father F. Gordon Mackay, John Singer Sergeant,  Dean Mitchell and Joseph Zbuvic among others.

Spencer is driven to capture the essence of the natural or man-made environment in a way that evokes an emotional response on the part of the viewer.  The depiction of light, atmosphere, texture and the rhythm of the scene through the medium of watercolor is both challenging and exciting.  Part of the allure of watercolor is the potential for accidental beautiful effects as the medium has a mind of its own and constantly teaches the artist.

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In Memoriam:
Spencer succumbed to a brief illness and passed away peacefully on July 2nd, 2024. His legacy lives on through both his beautiful watercolor paintings and the many lives he enriched with his creativity, kindness, and passion for art.

Going forward, this site will be managed by his family, who are dedicated to preserving and sharing his artistic contributions and continuing his legacy.