Douglas Baulch

Douglas Baulch
Francesca (1970): oil on stretched canvas; full size 180.0cm x 120.0cm, Private Collection, Brisbane (Australia).
Born	Ernest Douglas Baulch (1917-05-24)24 May 1917 Malvern, Victoria
Died	23 February 1996(1996-02-23) (aged 78) Melbourne, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Known for	Artist
Movement	Impressionism/Realism

(Ernest) Douglas Baulch (24 May 1917 – 23 February 1996) was one of Australia's talented and naturally gifted artists from the Prahran Technical College but less known as he was very reserved.

Baulch was born at Malvern, Victoria, Australia, being the only son and youngest of three children of Ernest Stanley Baulch. He is commonly known as Douglas Baulch, the same name used on all his works. Before Douglas' first birthday his father was sent to fight in France during World War 1, only to return hospitalised for the rest of his life being completely incapacitated til his death 8 years later. This had a traumatic and emotional effect on Douglas as a young child watching and only knowing his father from his death bed. His father eventually died in 1926 when Douglas was only 9 years old.

Still living at Malvern this created both severe financial and emotional stress upon him and the family. Being forced to take on a more responsible role for the household at a very early age. Even while young he had a love for art spending all his spare time drawing at home, which his mother Ann and sisters Doris and Gloria encouraged.

He commenced training at the Prahran Technical College (now Swinburne University) in 1931. He was strongly influenced by his tutor Tom Carter who recognised his natural talent as an exceptional impressionist with strong artistic ability . Tom introduced him to William Dargie with whom he had a long standing friendship . Douglas took a strong interest in the true representation, depth and contrast of the Australian landscape capturing the light, hues and tones unique to Australia's environment. He further expanded the representation of the Australian society and its movement to an urbanised nation, as represented in a number of his cityscapes.

He kept to his desires and natural talent and felt he wasn't swayed to the then in-vogue abstraction stream. He graduated in 1934 (as a qualified teacher) but continued with post graduate studies from 1934 part-time. He became an ongoing member of the Victorian Artists Society exhibiting numerous times with them.

He had 20 pieces of works on Public Display for over 20 years at Prahran Technical College from 1940 as a representative of excellence for the College.

To supplement his income and to support his mother and sisters he worked as a commercial artist at "Troedel and Cooper Pty Ltd" during 1936 to 1938, then til 1940 as an artist with Athol Shmith (Fashion/Society Photographer). He then completed his post graduate studies in Fine Arts and Commercial Arts in 1940.