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Born Gourock and educated at Greenock Academy. Trained at Glasgow School of Art under David Donaldson [The principal of the GSA at this time was William Oliphant Hutchison who was a great encouragement to his students]. Among the tutors were Hugh Adam Crawford RSA, Henry Y. Alison, Jimmy Barr (modelling), Benno Shotz (modelling) and Alex Dick. Other members of staff at this time and all former GSA students were Ian Fleming, William Crosbie (former GSA student 1932-35), David Donaldson (part-time staff from 1938, former GSA student 1931-38), Ancell Stronach (Professor of Mural Painting) and Jack Coia.] and under James Cowie RSA at Hospitalfield House, Arbroath, who encouraged her to broaden her interest into literature, politics and other spheres of intellectual thought and discussion. Initially worked as a set designer with Glasgow's Unity Theatre where she met her husband Tom McDonald who was the resident designer, and an artist in his own right. She trained as a teacher at Jordanhill but did not enjoy teaching and abandoned that as a career. She did some work in art therapy. In 1963 with fellow artist John Taylor and businessman and art collector Cyril Gerber she co-founded the New Charing Cross Gallery as a venue in Glasgow to show the work of young emerging artists. NCC flourished for 5 years, and spawned the Compass Gallery and Cyril Gerber Fine Art. In 1968 Low and her husband were both elected Member of the Glasgow Group. German Expressionism has been cited as an influence on her art and she has increasingly moved towards abstraction over the years and an interest in depicting natural elements, such as the effect of weather, many painted on Orkney which became a favourite retreat for her and her family. She was elected an Associate Member of the RSA in 1988 and was elevated to full Academician rank on the abolition of the Associate rank in 2005