What inspires/motivates your work?
A lifelong fascination with art and photography. Art that resonates and hopefully inspires a desirable frame of mind. Sometimes I just like to make something fun or beautiful but not always in the traditional sense— makes you feel…?!;-)
Why do you choose to work in this medium?
My affinity for drawing and painting was inspired by my mother, photography and engineering by my father and those skills developed at a very early age. I work in more than one medium. As an Art Director for a publica- tion or as a freelance conceptual Illustrator for multiple publications of varied subjects, one develops a sense for selecting a medium best suited for the end result. Drawing and painting form the foundation of my talents but I have won awards as an artist, illustrator, graphic designer, photographer and filmmaker and I will continue to explore opportunities to create in all these mediums when they are appropriate for the work.
How long have you been an artist, and how has your practice changed over time?
I have made a career out of visual arts. My skills primarily lead to publishing and I have worked for design and publishing departments for universities, state agencies, news publications and investment companies. As my talents and business skills grew I moved into Creative Direction and Executive Producer roles and eventually agency ownership. Photography, Graphics, Illustration, led to Architecture and Environmental Design which led to Corporate Identity and Commercial Video productions in turn led to Motion Pictures. Fine art has always been an ongoing passion so I made it my plan to focus on fine art at this point in my career.
What are you making now and why?
Passions (things people are passionate about) cameras, animals, beauty, music, 3rd coastal culture. Abstracts; studies in influencing abstraction with invoked feelings and frequencies. Portraits by commission and people of interest.
What can we expect from your exhibition at Art City Austin 2020?
The results of my ongoing quest to explore the possibilities. Abstracts and abstract portraits that capture a mo- ment of emotion. For those passionate about Austin I am bringing a 2x4ft. gallery framed landscape painting of downtown Austin as seen from Castle Hill. Compositions of things people are passionate about like music, 3rd coast culture, cameras, animals, beauty, sports.
ABOUT DOUG LARUE
Doug LaRue graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University College of Architecture while he worked as a Sports Photojournalist for newpapers, United Press International and Associated Press. LaRue’s art education continued while working as a Medical Illustrator for the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences training with traditional mediums and specialized graphics computers, film and press equipment. LaRue attended workshops including the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Advanced Airbrush workshop at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Recently Doug’s work has been showcased in solo shows and significant group shows including The 13th Annual “People’s Gallery Exhibition” at Austin City Hall 2017-2018. His work is included in The Wittliff Collections, Alkek Library at Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, Forsyth Gallery Collections, Memorial Student Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, Austin, Texas. Doug served on the Board of Directors of Summer in the City Arts & Music Festival, Austin, Texas 2005 and the Artist Coalition of Austin 1992-1994. His work was featured in a cover story by Steam Magazine in 2016.
To follow Doug’s work, follow:
Website: https://douglarue.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/douglarueart/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DougLaRueArt/
Guestbook: http://eepurl.com/gm2tPn
