Mandy McKay grew up on a farm near Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, where she was inspired by the beauty of the natural world surrounding her. This is evident today in much of her work. Her paintings have a unique depth and 'magic' depicting her ability to replicate nature's honesty and simplicity. 'We come from nature, we go back to nature. Life is the bit in between, let us learn from it and respect its power and beauty' she says.

After studying graphic design in the early 80's, Mandy pursued a career in

advertising. Several years later she started freelancing, specialising in book design. She created an array of artistic books for several publishing houses in many diverse fields spanning wildlife, travel, natural history and cookery to gardening, history, arts and crafts.

In May 2007, Mandy picked up a paintbrush for the first time. She joined the South African Society of Artists in 2008 and has exhibited at their annual exhibitions since. In 2010 she qualified for their Merit exhibition. She has exhibited at the Elgin and Bedford Garden Festivals and also sells her collections privately from her studio at her home in Pinelands, Cape Town which she shares with her husband Peter.

Mandy divides her time now between her graphic design and painting studios.