The art of Doug Hyde
It was never my intention to sell my work. My artwork is produced simply for my own enjoyment, and provides a good vehicle to help me express myself and open up. Over a period of two years my artwork transformed my house and the large, bold and colourful art hanging on every wall created a very contemporary interior. I was a contented artist fulfilling briefs from all sorts of clients nine to five, but most evenings and weekends I enjoyed spending time on what I would describe as my private work.
It all started when I reluctantly let one of my friends have one of my artworks following months of persuasion. He assured me that he loved it and could feel the same passion as I did. Weeks later friends of his visited, saw the artwork, fell in love with it and again wanted one. The snowball started to roll, and with each artwork sold, friends or family of the buyer would be the next person to call. Within a couple of years I had work all over the country and was being advised very enthusiastically to
consider publishing. Eventually I contacted DeMontfort
Fine Art and following that first meeting the whole thing took off and here we are today!
Ironically I found it very difficult selling my artwork for the first couple of years. I could not appreciate why somebody would want part of my life on their wall. It is only now that I fully appreciate the reason; my life, feelings, emotions and humour are representative not only of my own outlook, but are the same as many others, so the viewer identifies themselves with the feeling of the artwork and the characters are the people in their own lives.
It is interesting to think back to the initial hesitation I had regarding selling my art compared to how I feel now - what a fantastic feeling it is to know that people all over the world enjoy my artwork as I do, as opposed to just me and my family. Satisfaction doesn’t get better than that.10 years later after that very first artwork, the fact that my work is sold all over the world with collectors enjoying it with the same enthusiasm and love, and sharing my passion for art is both hugely flattering and satisfying. The success of my work could never have been planned; if I set out to appeal to people of all races and ages and to try to capture emotion and an uplifting sentiment I know I would have failed. It would have looked terribly contrived and people would have seen through it. I believe it is the fact that the work is produced for me, my family and our home that makes it real to people. It is honest, and I am not trying to achieve emotion and a sense of optimism. All I want to do is create fantastic contemporary art; the fact that the work conveys feeling is due to the painting being so real to me, capturing a memory or something I have seen, or sending a personal message to somebody close to me, followed by a simple title which captures the essence of that message.
Although the work is now sold all over the world I paint the same way as I did 10 years ago, imagining the room in the house where the picture will be hung and then producing it with the same excitement and love for the work that I hope the viewer will also experience.
