I grew up on a Florida beach and have spent most of my adult life looking at mountains. That geography lives in my work — lush landscapes with architectural accents, sailing scenes, gardens — rendered in a hybrid medium I call dimensional clay painting: bas-relief shaped in wet clay, fired, then finished with layers of acrylic paint and epoxy glaze.

The two materials do different things for me. Clay gives me the freedom of expression I need — the ability to push a form, carve a line, let gesture into the piece. Paint gives me the level of detail I require. Together they let me work somewhere between impressionism and contemporary abstraction: representational enough to hold a place, loose enough to feel it.

I was born to make things with my hands. For decades my profession has been cardiac surgery — specifically endoscopic vein harvesting, a specialty built on fine motor control and hand-eye coordination. That same discipline runs through the studio work. Clay and paint have been my constant companions through it all, honed first in high school and college and refined steadily over the years since.

Now, entering the second half of life, I'm turning toward the studio full-time. I'm currently building a new gallery show — the most complete expression yet of where I've been, what I've seen, and what I still want to make.

As an award winning artist who has been featured in galleries and exhibits across the country, Doug continues to invest his love and talent into his work.