Artist Statement
Utah Plein Air Artist, Doug Braithwaite, has been painting since he was old enough to hold a paintbrush. He pursued his love and talent of art and graduated from the University of Utah in 1991. Since that time, Doug’s bold brush strokes have been easily recognized by admirers and collectors. His work was once well-described in Southwest Art Magazine as “where realism meets abstraction,” almost like two paintings in one. From far away, it is almost photographic. As you move closer, however, you see much less details and the bold brush strokes merely interpret what your eye sees. “Painting for me, feels like composing and playing music. I look for rhythm and tempo created by the geometry of space. I paint my life experiences—the deserts, the pastoral landscapes, the urban landscapes of every season. I paint the places I encounter as I travel as I love expressing what life is like here and now.”
Most recently, Doug won 1st Place in oil at the Sears Dixie Invitational as well as winning Best of Show at the Eccles “Traces of the West Show”. Doug has been featured on the cover of the Plein Air Magazine and was featured inside the magazine with a 5-page article written by the editor-in-chief Stephen Doherty. He has been featured on the cover of Park City Magazine and also the Springville Spring Salon Magazine. He has participated in painting competitions across the country, and has received dozens of awards including First Place / Best of Show in the Driggs Digs Plein Air Invitational in Driggs, ID, Everett Ruess Plein Air in Escalante, UT, Ogden Plein Air, Zion’s Plein Air Invitational at Zion’s National Park, Moab Plein Air, Eccles Black & White Show, Wasatch Plein Air in Midway, UT, the River Rocks Plein Air in Idaho Falls, ID, Deseret News Color of the Land $5,000 Purchase Award, Mayor’s Award in Estes Park, and an Inaugural Davis County Art Exhibit Award. “Painting the landscape, for me, is about awe, wonder and learning respect. It is also about understanding and recognizing our efforts to exist and flourish.” Doug is represented by Terzian Gallery in Park City, Torrey Gallery in Torrey, Utah, Illume Gallery in St. George, Utah and Bella Muse Fine Art in Ogden, Utah.