Doug Hyde
Doug Hyde was born in 1972 and began pursuing his ambition of becoming a professional artist after leaving college where had focused on the technical side of painting and drawing. Throughout his earlier career Doug Hyde preferred to use acrylics and water colours before moving onto experimenting with (his now preferred medium of) pastels, which gives his work such contrast.
Doug Hyde was pretty much an unknown artist of until as recently as 2003, so his rise to artistic stardom is quite outstanding and Doug has recently been quoted as being "The most popular living artist in the UK" by the BBC TV National News.
Doug's unorthodox application of pastels, using thumbs and the side of his hands and wrists, creates engaging and communicative images, which leave a definitive impression and have led to his artwork pieces becoming genuine collectors' items.
Doug Hyde likes to produce his artwork on large scales for maximum impact, which can no doubt be traced in part to Doug Hyde's 1995 visit to the Tate where he was mesmerized by the power of a 25ft Mark Rothko original.
Doug finds his inspiration from his 'Ideas Box', which includes scribblings on napkins, cards or indeed anything which has some space on it. These ideas are taken from his experience of everyday life, with friends and family and serves as a visual diary of his life.
Doug is married to Suzie and the couple have two young children. A devoted father and family man Doug Hyde has also helped some worthwhile causes, with his work benefiting both the adoption agency Families for Children* and also 'Look Good... Feel Better*', a charity which helps those suffering from cancer.
Doug prefers to produce his distinctive artwork on a large scale, in order to achieve maximum impact with each piece. He also enjoys operating in plenty of space, thus allowing himself enough physical freedom to express the creative energy that is the key to his fresh, contemporary style. His unorthodox use of pastels applied with fingers and thumbs or even the side of a hand or wrist allows him to create highly communicative and engaging images that make an immediate and lasting impression on the viewer.
Doug Hyde has quite rightly become one of the leading artists currently producing work in the UK.
In 2002, Doug Hyde was a young artist painting for family and friends. By 2005 he had become UK's best selling published artist and recognised as being "The most popular living artist in the UK" by the BBC TV National News in the UK.
His limited edition work is very much in demand and each time a new collection is released, the pieces tend to sell out very quickly as prices rise due to the overwhelming demand.
Doug's use of pastels, applied with fingers and thumbs or even the side of a hand, allows him to create highly communicative and engaging images that make an immediate and lasting impression and he has created a very loyal following in the UK.
His works are also beginning to spread into the US market.
