Contributed by Douglas Girard
Douglas was born in California, but only spent 18 months there before his family moved to Africa. The grasslands and rolling hills of Africa never inspired him as did the mountains of the northern continents. He longed to be in northern forests looking out across a vista dominated by towering mountain peaks.
When he was 17, he flew by himself to California to attend Chapman College. A year later, he was accepted into Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. After graduation, he taught art at a private art school, gave private painting lessons, illustrated book covers and painted over a hundred plein air paintings of California's various landscapes.
In 1993, he and his wife decided to move to Alaska. He felt he was losing himself in the contemporary art movements of Los Angeles and wanted to find a way of painting that was more true to himself. When he finally moved to Alaska, he found landscapes that truly inspired him. In the mountains of the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges, he found those cathedrals of stillness he had dreamed about.
“My artwork is created from a great love of the many changing moods of nature and the sense of mystery and expectation that is created from ever varying colors and shapes. On my many walks, I have rejoiced in the decorative quality of nature which inspires my illustrations. My goal is to make each painting a poem of color, light and form that captures the essence of my inspiration. Birds are as fleeting and mysterious as mist and cloud that can quickly appear and just as suddenly disappear. Our feathered friends are also symbols of the mysterious, eternal life force and a connection with the spiritual path. The act of creating the Celtic/Norse-inspired knotwork that you see in some of my work is my way of connecting with this spiritual path. Now, thanks to my wife, I view birds as highly symbolic and life enriching and the experience of being in their presence as an almost religious event. I hope I can share some of this delight with others that may feel the same way.”
“The COVID-19 virus has forced most of the art fairs that I usually attend to be cancelled. I have therefore refocused my attention on my website and social media. I have just launched my totally-rebuilt website with many new features like “The Wall Preview Tool”, which allows you to visualize my art in a sample room. You can select the room type and even choose your paint color to get a better feel for how large a given piece is and how it will look on your wall. I have also uploaded a huge collection of my Alaska landscapes that are now available as prints in many sizes and even as large as 4’ x 6’! You will also find my popular “Bird Blocks” as well as other images available on paper, canvas, metal and wood.
My website is studiogirard.com. For those interested in how and why I paint, I have started live painting sessions on my Instagram page @studiogirard. You can watch me paint and ask me any questions as I work on a painting. I have been going live on Tuesday afternoons, but I will be testing out other days and times to see which is more popular. I have the recorded sessions posted on my Facebook and Instagram pages. At the end of August I will be having a “Live Art Show” on Facebook and/or Instagram during, which I will be having for sale some unique prints and originals that are not available anywhere else. Stay tuned!”
Photo Credits:
MAS - Meet The Artist- Douglas Girard 1: Yellow Warblers are harbingers and emissaries of the sun with their bright yellow color. When you first see them, you surely know spring has arrived and that the cold north winds will give way to warmer days. They are very elusive, but when sighted will bring joy to your heart with their brilliant yellow color. The border includes Celtic knotwork, two warblers and a sun symbol.
MAS - Meet The Artist- Douglas Girard 2:There is nothing like a sunny summer day in Hatcher pass. The lush green, the rocky peaks, the sound of ground squirrels and golden crowned sparrows, a gentle breeze on one’s face and so many places to explore!
