In a 2004 interview with Harold Klunder, the artist remarked:I was influenced very strongly by the tradition of going out into nature and painting what was there.

[1]Born in Calgary, Alberta, McCarthy attended the Ontario College of Art from 1926 to 1930, where she was awarded various scholarships and prizes.

[2] She spent most of her life living and working in Scarborough (now a Toronto district), Ontario, though she travelled abroad extensively and painted the landscapes of various countries, influenced by Lawren Harris's simplification of form.

The countries she visited included: Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Japan, India, England, and Ireland.

Doris McCarthy trail runs alongside Bellamy Ravine, connecting Bellehaven Crescent to Lake Ontario.