Melanie was born and raised in Southern Ontario.  Her creativity and love for the outdoors was nurtured from a young age. Melanie’s grandmother was a prolific muralist, painting scenes on the doors, walls and entire rooms of her home. Annual camping trips to Algonquin Provincial Park cultivated MacVoy’s appreciation for the Canadian lanscape and intrigue with Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.

Melanie studied Fine Arts and Arts Administration at the University of Waterloo with renowned Canadian artist, Tony Urquardt being her most influential professor. During a summer co-op placement, Melanie relocated to Vancouver where she completed her Fine Arts degree through UBC and Emily Carr University.

While exploring the Coast Mountains and rainforests on Vancouver Island, Melanie fell in love with the outdoors lifestyle that BC has to offer. Her connection to the cedar tree was fostered as a conservationist while trail building in pristine wilderness areas threatened by logging.

Seduced by “legendary” powder skiing, Melanie joined the small mountain community of Fernie, BC in 2000. Like most travellers, she “came for the winter but stayed for the summer” with the additional discovery of exceptional mountain biking trails and fly fishing rivers.

Melanie worked for over 10 years at Island Lake Lodge, a backcountry skiing and hiking destination near Fernie. The resort, nestled within a pocket of interior old growth, provided Melanie with the opportunity to study her favourite cedar trees intimately throughout the seasons.  Driving along ridge tops and through alpine bowls as a Snowcat Operator also inspired Melanie with rocky mountain vistas from “the best office view” imaginable. Island Lake Lodge commissioned several large scale paintings by the artist to adorn the walls of their luxurious lodges while also expanding the international market for her work.

Moving forward, Melanie is keen on expanding her portfolio by immersing herself in more artist residencies and learning from other professional artists. Adopting the practice of painting “en plein air” has inspired much of her new work and a period of artistic growth.