About
canadian contemporary pentimenti artist
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Douglas’s artistic journey began at the age of ten, nurtured by a family deeply rooted in artistic tradition. This rich environment instilled in him a profound appreciation for the transformative power of art.
Emerging from childhood with a clear vision, Douglas pursued formal education at the Ontario College of Art & Design University, where he graduated with Honours and earned a working scholarship at advertising agency McCann-Erickson. This launched him into a successful career in advertising and design as an Art Director, eventually ascending to Creative Director and Chief Creative Officer at Ammirati Puris. While at Ammirati, he led the creative development of the award-winning “Out of the Blue’ campaign for Labatt Breweries and the ‘Go ahead Get Dirty’ campaign for Sunlight/Unilever. This led Douglas to open his own award-winning agency Doug & Partners.
Douglas served as the President of the Advertising & Design Club of Canada in 1996 and 2002.
Although Douglas excelled at creatively directing major advertising campaigns, he never lost sight of his true passion: painting. Eventually, in 2023, the call of the canvas became irresistible, prompting his return to the full-time pursuit of this lifelong love. This “coming home” has proven to be deeply fulfilling.
Douglas is an active member of the Society of Canadian Artists, The Federation of Canadian Artists, The Toronto Artist Network, the Muskoka Arts & Crafts Club, Art King Society and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
He is currently represented by The Jacklope Gallery Toronto.
His work held in private collections in Canada and the USA. Most recently his work was juried into the prestigious Society of Canadian Artists 2025 International.
Studio locations are Nobleton and Muskoka, Ontario.
“SEEING BEAUTY IN THE INCOMPLETE AND IMPERFECT.”
Artist statement
My work is rooted in the language of pentimenti – the ghostly echoes and traces of change that echo beneath the surface of a painting. These remnants of earlier visible forms are not mistakes to be concealed, but vital parts of my story. They are emotional excavations - pauses, redirections, and revisions that mirror our own shifting landscapes.
Painting for me is an intuitive act – a dialogue between my internal world and the lived experiences that surround me. Each brushstroke is a response - sometimes a question, and sometimes an answer. I paint every day with curiosity and a keen awareness of art as my barometer of my existence. My process is fluid, often unpredictable, reflecting the rhythms of human experience. Each painting is an introspection map layered with vulnerability, tension, serenity and doubt.
As I am drawn to the complexity of human emotion, my work emerges from the quiet narratives that exist between our emotional layers: joy and doubt, clarity and confusion, the past and present, all pressing against each other.
The depth of my pentimenti technique invites the viewer into this process. As forms emerge and dissolve, my work draws the viewer to look closer – to search, interpret and connect. The act of layering and removing of paint becomes not just a visual approach, but a metaphor for how we make sense of our own lives, through memory, reflection and a willingness to look at what lies beyond the surface.
“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art” - Paul Cézanne
