Artist BIO
 

Doug Ratcliffe was born in Bay Village, a suburb of Cleveland Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie. His childhood passion for drawing was fine tuned at the University of Northern Colorado where he completed his Master of Arts in Fine Art.

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A couple years later, he decided to attend the Art Institute of Colorado.  There he discovered the world of design. For over 30 years Doug explored design in both 2 and 3 dimensions.  Many samples of design are in the "Retrospective" section of this website. He was a graphic designer at CTI Exhibits, and Martin Marietta where his graphic design was recognized twice by the National Society of Technical Communicators.  While at MediaOne Cable he managed the Design Communications Department, winning a Merit Award for Web Design from PRSA Colorado.

In his own company Colorado Water Features, Doug designed and built architectural fountains for US Farathane in Auburn Hills Michigan, Denver Parks and Recreation, and the Colorado Athletic Club, to name a few.

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In 2015, Doug decided it was time to re-emerge as a fine artist.  He has shown his work in the Denver Art Society Gallery, Center Stage Theater in Evergreen, The R Gallery in Boulder, Niza Knoll Gallery in Denver, the Teller Gallery in Wheat Ridge, CO, and the Breckenridge Fine Art Festival. He is excited to work on his new theme "Dioramic Constructs"

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Artist Statement​   

I call them dioramic constructs.  Each piece is a unique diorama built on the stage of a picture plane.  They are 3D mixed media paintings with constructed layers that enhance the depth.  This technique is like setting props on a theater stage. 

This art form first connected with me in graduate school studying artist Robert Rauschenberg’s work.  On the canvas he combined different materials, objects and techniques  His paintings broke down the barriers between painting, sculpture, and narrative.  He and his contemporaries worked in the everyday objects.  My work tacks a little different direction by mechanically extending the canvas with layers. Conceptually, the theme difference with Rauschenberg is dramatic.  I use the the mixed media to extrude the canvas and create stories or narratives.  Since the early 80's I have used my experience in the trades to build on the surface of the canvas. The construction is part of the composition, with a realistic technique-adding dimension that plays off the painting.

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Discover you interpretation - your narrative for each of the very different constructs.