I find inspiration for my painting can strike at any time, whether through my own emotional response to something, or through observing somebody else's obvious love for another person or animal. Sometimes I will hear a phrase spoken and immediately visualise a picture - I then work around that phrase and use it as a title for the finished piece. My ideas are generally spontaneous and mood driven, whether that mood was good or bad! Painting like this gives me complete fulfilment: being able to create an entirely individual and personal piece of work, from visualising the idea in my head, sketching it, painting it and finally seeing it completed gives me complete satisfaction. Five years ago when I visited the Tate Modern I was looking at a 25 ft original by Mark Rothko and was completely mesmerised. The scale, the use of colour and the simplicity. What power! This experience provided a defining moment in my artistic journey; convincing me that less is more, it sent me down the path of simple, bold imagery painted on a large scale, to create maximum impact. In the past I preferred to use acrylics and watercolours, but over the last few years I have fallen in love with pastels! From the very first time I used pastels I knew that this was the medium that would best be able to achieve the effects I wanted to create - I love the contrast between the soft tones and the hard edges. It gives me much more freedom than any other medium and enables me to use an entirely individual technique. I am able to create the movement I like in a piece of art and the rich boldness of colour. Recently named as the UK's official best selling artist, Doug has been featured on television both on the BBC national news and on Channel 4 as well as on local television and local and national radio describing his unique technique and talking about the people and events that inspire his heart-warming images.