Douglas Laird was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1946. At 15 years old, Douglas was an apprentice at an advertising agency in his hometown. He attended the Edinburgh College Of Art where he studied life drawing and draped life. Douglas' travels have had a strong influence on the subject matter used in his paintings, including landscape, nostalgia, still life, children and everyday activities. An extraordinary draftsman, Douglas has absolute control over the finest details of a drawing. Once he does a comprehensive drawing, he gathers references for his painting, including field studies or photography. He basically sticks to his original sketch and will study it before the final brush strokes are applied.