Mackay, Keith David (David)   (1958 -   )

Born 1958 in Hornsby, NSW, Australia.

Always known as 'David'.

B.Sc. (Honors), Botany, University of Sydney, 1985.
Privately tutored by William T. Cooper, Wildlife artist.

Botanical Artist

David Mackay was botanical illustrator at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney for 16 years and at the National Botanic Gardens of Papua New Guinea before that. He has been guest artist at Kew Gardens London, the University of California at Berkeley and the Linnean Herbarium in London. He was commissioned to illustrate his first book - on orchids at 15. Since then he has illustrated well over 150 books and scientific papers. More than 5,000 of his drawings and paintings have been published. 

His paintings have been exhibited in Australia, England, USA, Japan and Papua New Guinea. His work is in public collections in Australia, England, USA and Papua New Guinea and in private collections around the world.

Contributed illustration to volumes of the Flora of Australia and the Flora of New South Wales (1990-1993).

Examples of his work:

Acacia ingramii
Alloxylon flameum
Doryanthes excelsa

Research Botanist

In the 2000s, David had a career change and became a plant ecologist working in terrestrial ecosystems, with a PhD in plant ecology from UNE awarded in 2018. His PhD research focused in the ecology of figs.

His primary interest has been on plant ecology and management including translocations, plant biology, plant systematics, plant landscape genetics, seed-bank dynamics, fire ecology, and targeting reproductive ecology as an avenue for understanding and potentially improving the conservation status of threatened species and communities, or as a route for controlling weedy species.

He has had experience working in temperate and tropical ecosystems in Australia, PNG and Malaysia. He has worked on many projects as an ecological consultant to the NSW and Commonwealth environment agencies.

David became a lecturer in Ecology and Botany at the University of New England.

Source: Extracted from:
H.Hewson Australia - 300 Years of Botanical Illustration
https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/ers/david-mackay
https://huntbot.org/internatcat/sites/default/files/MackayDavid-Bio.pdf (1999)
; http://www.botanicalartqld.com.au/artist/41
http://www.davidmackay.com.au/
Portrait Photo: http://www.botanicalartqld.com.au/artist/41 (1990s)