Fine art had to take a backseat while Doug pursued his many interests. He earned a B.A. in Media Studies from Webster University, in St. Louis, Missouri and went on to earn a M.F.A.in Motion Graphics at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California, the school founded by Walt Disney. It was at CalArts that Doug made two animated shorts. They were selected to be screened at the American Film Institute's Film Festival and copies of each were requested by Cal Art to remain in the California Institute of the Arts animation archives.
Returning to St. Louis, Doug returned to fine art. He began to turn his concern for wildlife into a pencil series. As he began studying endangered species, he felt confined by his limited reach. The power and strength he wanted to express in the animals couldn't be conveyed as a small image. So the self-taught artist taught himself again. Doug began to work on images upside down and sideways in order to create larger images and to do the animals justice.
To date his "Vanishing Breeds" series has been exhibited in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, St. Louis, Missouri, and Brussels, Belgium. Doug has selected favorite pieces to print. In 2006 Doug was accepted into the International Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association, (www.mfpausa.com & www.vdmfk.com). Note: Doug is not a member or contributing artist of VSA Arts.