" CARTOON LIFE "| STEWART SPECTRUM | FIGMENT SERIES | 2018 | Painting

Douglas Stewart was born and raised in Sydney (Australia). Growing up with art-loving parents, Douglas developed an interest and appreciation in art from a young age. Also an avid traveller, Douglas has seen and been inspired by many beautiful places around the world. Douglas left school at sixteen to study Musical Composition, playing four different instruments. Whilst he didn’t move into a career in music, Douglas maintains this interest, continuing to write and play music, his preferred genres being blues and folk.  Upon graduation from his Musical Composition studies, Douglas was recruited into the technology industry and for a few years worked for a global Telecommunications company. Whilst he felt the pull towards a more creative career, this role taught Douglas the structure and organisation he implements into his life and art today. Douglas then moved to Victoria, where he worked in some of the State’s most well-known galleries. At his bases in Melbourne and Daylesford, Douglas began working as an art director, dealer & curator, before also focusing on his own creative skills. This saw Douglas refine his own art and the emergence of his art business, whilst maintaining a successful career as a curator and consultant – working on many artboards, exhibitions and galleries throughout Australia. A flourishing career has now led Douglas to a relocation to the Southern Highlands, NSW. Douglas is a multi-discipline abstract artist with a strong focus on painting, sculptures and works on paper. He has an interest in multi-layered works and his style has been described as “ADHD meets abstract expressionism, with a spoonful of street art styling”. With a strong focus on psychology through his art, Douglas places particular emphasis on the Rorschach method in his pieces. Douglas’ work can now be found in a number of galleries around Hepburn Springs, Daylesford and Melbourne, with current plans for expansion to North America.  Whilst canvas is currently his most commonly used medium, Douglas is passionate about reducing landfill - he also transforms ‘trash’ into artworks, using discarded materials, tree trunks and old artworks. Douglas hopes to show that there is beauty in accidents and flaws.  Douglas Stewart pieces are often identifiable by the outlines, smudges, multi-layered scrapes, strong use of abstracted faces and form, with a key element of motivation being mood.