Doug Giles began his foray into the art world when his parents bought him his first box of crayons and he went to work cranking out drawings of birds and fish when he was just four-years-old. Giles says of these nascent years that, “I couldn’t write my name but, dammit … I could draw a mean chicken! And that explains most of my life.”

Moving from bass and birds, Doug dove into Mad Magazine and fell in love with Mort Drucker’s caricatures. He spent most of his adolescent years filling sketchbooks with copies of Mort’s cartoons, which he parlayed into being a cartoonist for his High School paper.

Speaking of High School and art, Giles says, “My art classes in high school were a joke. Most of the instructors could not draw and they had no sense of art or art history. I think my gym teacher doubled as our art instructor. Our art teachers were essentially baby-sitters who let us doodle whatever for an hour a day." Matter fact, Doug flunked art his senior year of high school but he says, "that was for hilarious disciplinary reasons. Not for lack of talent."

From High School to college, Giles focused on fine art during his undergrad studies, which he also labels as another ‘great waste of time.’ Doug says, “The painting classes focused on the inane. Very few focused on enhancing one’s actual skills and composition. It was more of an extension of a High Schoolish, "paint what you feel and don’t judge my actual talent goofy art schlock.” Thankfully, Giles befriended a serious artist and sculptor who helped him hone his skills and introduced him to other artists, both living and dead, who would influence him greatly.

I love Africa. I've been to "the cradle" many times, and every time I go I get my spirit fed from the primal funk that is still a part of her green hills.

I especially enjoy the unnerving vibe the big five: "the elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and buffalo" put forth. These animals have a poise and power about them that's intense.

Believing, as I do, that art directly impacts our approach to life, I paint these grand beasts with great regularity hoping that their repose, strength and utter confidence will rub off on my viewers who are stressed out, insipid and fearful.

Aside from painting African game, I also enjoy painting the human face and figure in a realistic way. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing like a classic handling of face and form, replicating the beauty and emotion that's a part of God's creative handiwork. If executed with excellence and interest such paintings will forever stop a patron in his tracks.

Giles’s chosen mediums are oil and charcoal. And regarding his style, he prefers for you to define it.

We're excited to announce the release of GILES VOLUME I: The Biblical Warrior Collection. Seventy plus oil paintings displayed throughout a 234 page, full color, coffee table sized book, featuring Doug's biblical artwork. It is a stunning book and makes a great addition to the warrior's library. Austin Art & Frame performed hi-res imaging of the images used in this book.

You can purchase it here https://www.amazon.com/GILES-VOL-1-Biblical-Warrior-Collection/dp/1618082191/ref=zg_bsnr_g_8947733011_d_sccl_6/144-8242309-3497358?psc=1