My friend David Douglas, who has died aged 56 following a stroke, was a multitalented artist, teacher, musician and gardener. In his life, as with his art, he drew inspiration from the landscape in his native Ayrshire, in Cyprus and in the Highlands of Scotland.
Davie was born in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, and grew up in Fairlie, the son of Judy (nee MacCreadie) and John Douglas, a mechanical engineer. At Largs Academy (1974-1978) his artistic talents were spotted by a kindly and committed teacher. Davie studied drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art, gaining a diploma in 1984. In Edinburgh he became a respected figure in the art scene, in particular contributing to the running of the Collective Gallery, a contemporary visual arts gallery in the city.
In the mid-1980s Davie – along with many other Edinburgh artists – went to Cyprus for a postgraduate diploma. There he produced what many consider to be his best work. His meticulous draughtsmanship, a feature of his work as a student at Edinburgh, was employed to stunning effect in a series of drawings and paintings of simple Cypriot churches, sometimes painted from unusual angles and with a striking emphasis on irregular architectural features.
Frequently rising early to capture the morning light, Davie sketched the landscape, subsequently turning his drawings into swirling, semi-abstract compositions such as Terraced Cliff at Dawn, an incandescent painting that burns on the canvas as well as in the imagination.
After his return to Edinburgh, he worked in a studio in then bohemian Stockbridge. But he decided to pursue a career as an art teacher and to head for the open spaces of the Highlands. He taught at Ullapool high school, and then as principal teacher of art at Kingussie high school. Davie was a meticulous teacher who encouraged all his pupils to produce what he called their own “unique work of art”. He was a forceful advocate for his subject and was chagrined by what he saw as the increasing marginalisation of art in Scottish schools.
He opted for early retirement this summer so that he could return to his painting and spend more time travelling with his wife, Sandra (nee Robertson), with whom he shared his love of traditional music.
Davie is survived by Sandra, his parents, Judy and John, and his brother, Sandie.
