Douglas Black
Gazing upward through a ceiling of trees reveals a brilliant, shifting architecture where the earth meets the atmosphere—the distinct, busy realm of birds. My recent oil paintings on canvas and wood panels explore this vertical world, capturing birds as they navigate the dense network of branches or soar effortlessly against the open clouds far above. As a contemporary urban realism artist, my work embodies a desire to evoke a deeply physical response to nature, recreating the immersive, dizzying perspective of looking straight up from the forest floor. By framing the endless sky with the organic lines of the canopy and the movement of wildlife, the compositions ground the viewer while simultaneously offering a sense of vast expansion, reminiscent of the principles of metamodernism.
Choosing materials like wood and canvas provides a tactile foundation for these ethereal subjects, grounding the fluid qualities of oil paint in something structural. Watching these birds from below highlights a fleeting, everyday wonder that is often overlooked in our daily routines. The resulting pieces, influenced by figurative impressionism, invite the viewer to pause, change their orientation, and experience the natural environment not as an outside observer, but from a position of total, embodied immersion within a living, breathing ecosystem.
Chicago-based oil painter Douglas Black (b. 1961) has established a prominent regional presence with his contemporary urban realism, exhibiting work across municipal, university, and faith-based galleries throughout Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Raised in Detroit, Black’s formal background in architecture profoundly shapes his current practice; he honed his technique studying watercolor under the acclaimed architect Roy Strickfaden and oils, gouache, and color theory under the modernist Harold Linton. Today, his paintings, often reflecting themes of modern isolation, structure, and chaos, showcase vibrant colors and stark contrasts, embodying elements of figurative impressionism and metamodernism. Operating from his studio on Chicago's Southside near Lake Michigan, Black signs his pieces simply as 'Douglas' alongside the two-digit production year. His paintings, including those featuring birds, are held in several private collections, and his ongoing work can be followed on Facebook and Instagram at @DouglasBlackFineArt.
Douglas Black, Contemporary Urban Realism Artist CV
Email - douglas@douglasblack.art Phone - 773-543-2943 Chicago, IL
Website - https://www.DouglasBlack.ART
Social Media @DouglasBlackFineArt
Solo Exhibitions
2026 Solo Exhibition by LoCA, The Circle, Chicago, IL
2025 Peaceable Coexistence, B&L Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026 Festival of Independent Artists, Stan Mansion, Chicago, IL
2026 Reno 4x4 Show, Reno, NV
2026 Collectors Gala, Buckham Gallery, Flint, MI
2025–2026 Featured Artists at ArtSpeaks, VibrantCast, Chicago, IL
2025 10by10 Show, Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL
2025 A Whisper To A Scream (curated by Sergio Gomez), Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL
2024 Cadavre Exquis, Wayward Arts, Chicago, IL
2023 HOMAGE National, 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC
1987–2026 Participated in various group exhibitions across Illinois and Michigan
Institutional & Juried Exhibitions
2025 The Art of Culinary National, Nicolet College Gallery, Rhinelander, WI
2023 Wings and Water National, River Arts Center, Prairie du Sac, WI
2003 Holiday National, Shiawassee Arts Center, Owosso, MI
1990 Spring Botanical Regional, Lansing Art Center, Lansing, MI
Publications & Illustrated Works
2024 Reade, Duke Pierce. Tides of Time (Cover Art), From Dark Water Studio, Chicago, IL
2017–2022 Reade, Duke Pierce. The Red and the Gold, Parts 1-3 (Illustrations), From Dark Water Studio, Chicago, IL
2016 Black, Douglas. Five Years in Chicago (Photography and Graphic Design), From Dark Water Studio, Chicago, IL
2013 Black, Douglas. Structure, Sport, Sidestreet: A Trilogy of Vision and View (Photography and Graphic Design), From Dark Water Studio, Chicago, IL
Lectures & Speaking Engagements
2025 "Art In Life Lecture Series," Artis Senior Living Lakeview, Chicago, IL
Education
School of Architecture, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI
Douglas Black, known for his captivating paintings of birds and his exploration of Figurative Impressionism and Metamodernism, continues to push the boundaries of contemporary urban realism in his artwork.
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