A depiction of the harbour and castle in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, with various buildings and landscape features depicted in vibrant hues, reflecting the legacy of the Scottish Colourist artists.
An important painting in the developing artistic stye of Douglas Clarkson, as showing the West elevation of the Hill House in Helensburgh.

BIO

Douglas Clarkson (b. 1951) did consider initially a career in horticulture but was drawn to study Natural Philosophy (Physics) in Glasgow which led to a successful career in medical technology (Medical Physics). The applications using light in healthcare in all its various forms became a key interest which brought with it a fascination with colour and its perception and also a certain amount of wonder regarding the powers of vision. He was involved in initial steps to introduce Art into a large acute hospital Trust in the West Midlands and became aware of the beneficial effects of Art in clinical spaces for both staff and patients. He is drawn to the work of the Scottish Colourists in the sense that their work inspires confidence in an individual finding and developing a distinct style of expression in which an artist can find personal delight and satisfaction.

STATEMENT

My preferred surface is wood panel.  For colour I find water based oils give a dependable colour palate which can radiate bright cheerful tones.     I worked in oils as a teenager and from time to time also experimented with  acrylics and spray paints.   My dominant painting 'style' developed to maturity while working on a study of the Hill House designed by  Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In simplistic terms this  'style' involves resolving a study into individual distinct  surfaces and assigning distinct colours appropriately. This 'style' can  be applied to any form of study - landscape, still life,  portrait, abstract and so on. A majority of initial work involved architectural themes though I now find the greater freedom of landscapes more rewarding, especially coastal scenes in Galloway.

Colours are rewarding in as much that they reward curiosity in their creation. The famous Dutch Ophthalmologist Donders once constructed a colour wheel with 100 distinguishable hues in order to identify levels of colour blindness.  With even a modest collection of tubes of oil colours, however,  the number of distinguishable colours able to be created is daunting. It seems natural to  try to capture as many different colours in a painting as possible,  in a way analogous to a musical harmony of several notes of a given instrument or better still from a range of instruments where each instrument introduces its own characteristic harmonics.  

Colours can also be enigmatic, where there is a certain level of uncertainty about them.  This is a theme  that I endeavour to develop. 


Current Work

A representation of legacy fishing boats in the harbour of Anstruther, in Fife, Scotland which is an indication of earlier times and which complements the excellent historical record in the town's fishing museum.
A representation of John Knox's House on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh where colour is used to reveal design and structural features of the historic building.
Colorful illustration of a tall, pointed structure called the Tollbooth in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, with a blue sky and clouds in the background. The structure is decorated with horizontal stripes in various bright colors.
The image shows a colorful watercolor-style illustration of St. Monan's Church in Kirk, Scotland, with a tall steeple and vibrant colors, set against a light blue sky.
Painting of cloud-filled sky over Ross Bay, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, with a colorful landscape foreground.
An abstract painting of a house on a cliff at Port-Vendres, France, with vibrant colors including reds, blues, greens, and purples, overlooking the sea with a blue sky and distant horizon.

Why Art?

There is a basic motivation to make this art inspiring and produce something which the viewer finds uplifting. This is nothing new in the life story of art and it is a focus for seeking out the scenes and objects that enrich our lives but which on occasion are ignored by us in plain sight.