Betsey MacDonald

Website https://bmacdonald.net/

Betsey MacDonald

  Betsey MacDonald lives in Clayville, RI with her husband, 3 rescue dogs, 3 horses and 2 barn cats. She has a BFA in Fine Arts and an MA in Studio Art. She also completed a pre-med program. Betsey taught high school chemistry and biology for 25 years and art for 10 years. She introduced and taught both AP Chemistry and AP Art at her high school. As an art teacher, Betsey was always inspired by the creativity of her students and strove to use and understand a variety of mediums to improve her teaching skills. Betsey works in most 2D mediums. She has illustrated 3 children’s books, designed several posters and has had more than 25 solo exhibitions of her work. She has sold more than 500 paintings. She exhibits locally and nationally and her work has been chosen for many awards. She is a juried member of the American Academy of Equine Art and the Wickford Art Association. This year her watercolor, “Lion Around” received best watercolor at the Rhode Island Art Association’s show, “Different Views”. Her watercolor, “Annie, Making Waves” was juried into the National Watercolor Society’s Members show and was chosen for their website promotion. Her oil, “Drips and Bubbles”, just won first place oil in NC at the Arts Festival of Moore County. She is currently illustrating a children’s book, “Hoofprints in the Sand” and creating the South Coast Harvest Festival 2025 poster.  Although retired from public school, Betsey teaches at WAA and RIWS. She is always inspired by the enthusiasm of her students and how much she learns from them while teaching her classes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          STATEMENT: I love spending time with my own dogs and horses and I love being in nature, hopefully seeing wild animals in their own habitats. I am always in awe of the beauty and complexity of design of nature’s plants and animals. One of my greatest teachers told me to paint what I love. So, that’s what I do. I paint animals  and nature to better see and understand. 

Classes from this instructor

Today

  • Drawing to Completion: Improve Your Painting by Drawing with Betsey MacDonald

    Drawing to Completion: Improve Your Painting by Drawing with Betsey MacDonald

    Drawing to Completion: Improve Your Painting by Drawing with Betsey MacDonald Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, 29 - 1:00PM–4:00PM (4 classes) Degas said, “If I could have had my own way, I would have confined myself to black and white.” I LOVE to draw! It’s meditative. It teaches me to better see and understand my...

  • Drawing to Completion: Improve Your Painting by Drawing with Betsey MacDonald

    Drawing to Completion: Improve Your Painting by Drawing with Betsey MacDonald Monday, October 6th from 1:00-4:00 PM (1 Class) Betsey's students are enjoying this class immensely, so we have added an additional date!  New students please feel free to jump in for this one session, you will enjoy and learn!  Current students are welcome to...

  • Fall Back to Nature, Drawing & Painting with Betsey MacDonald

    Fall Back to Nature, Drawing & Painting with Betsey MacDonald

    Fall Back to Nature, Drawing & Painting with Betsey MacDonald Tuesdays, October 28, November 4, 18, 25 - 10:00AM–1:00PM (4 classes) Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own”, Charles Dickens. October brings us so many things to observe and draw! We’ll study natural objects such as fall foliage, vegetables and...

  • See The Light with Betsey MacDonald

    See The Light with Betsey MacDonald

    See The Light with Betsey MacDonald THIS CLASS IS FULL, please email wickarteducation@gmail.com to be added to the wait list.  Tuesdays, January 13, 20, 27 and February 10 from 10:00AM–1:00PM (4 classes) Intermediate to Advanced Levels In January, just when we’re ready to see more light, we’ll use watercolor as our medium, to study just...

  • Light Fantastic with Betsey MacDonald

    Light Fantastic with Betsey MacDonald

    Light Fantastic with Betsey MacDonald Tuesdays, March 17, 24, 31 & April 7 from 10:00AM–1:00PM (4 classes) Intermediate to Advanced Levels 'To me, every square inch of a painting space is about light and dark. Understanding light is the foundation of our art. Without it there is no contrast, no color, no vision. In this...

  • Wash On A Line with Betsey MacDonald

    Wash On A Line with Betsey MacDonald

    Wash On A Line with Betsey MacDonald Tuesdays, September 15, 29 & October 6, 20 from 10:00AM–1:00PM (4 classes) Intermediate to Advanced Levels From 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Member $170 Non-Member $200 Drawing improves painting in so many ways and it can be successfully used along with watercolor. Drawing sharpens eye-hand coordination, it improves observational skills, it allows us to simplify complex shapes and establish composition before adding color. First, we’ll study two artists who create beautiful images with line and watercolor. Then we’ll use  pens and brushes to draw from life using my dogs as models, a human model, colorful vegetables and fruits as well as our own photographs. We’ll combine our detailed drawings with expressive, soft, loose, translucent watercolor washes, first in monochrome, then a limited pallet and finally in full color. Precise ink lines with loose wet-on-wet watercolor will create a compelling artistic contrast and help us all to be less rigid in our approach to watercolor. Materials: Watercolor set (an inexpensive tray is fine but a set of tubes with palette is great, too), variety of brushes, watercolor block or pad (at least 140 lb, 8x 10, 12 x 16, 16 x 20, , hot and/or cold press paper, pad of drawing paper or mixed media paper, jar or two for water, spray bottle, #2 pencil, Micron fineliner pens with fine points and brushes, (a simple set of 4 is fine) or nib pens and waterproof ink, like Speedball that won’t run with watercolor, paper towels. Charlie Mackesy’s book, “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” or his new one “Always Remember “ $12 on Amazon ( this is not necessary but it’s gorgeous and we will draw from it in class. I’ll project imagery so you don’t NEED it.