Douglas Baulch was born May 24th 1917. He was the youngest of three children of Ernest Stanley Baulch and Annie Baulch residing at the humble house at 28 Edsall Street, Malvern, Victoria, Australia. His father departed HMAT A20 Hororata on 23 November 1916 returning to Australia 26 September 1917 incaptated due to war injuries and subsequently died several years later. This caused financial and emotional hardship on Douglas which made him more empathetic then most. Surviving off the War pension and assistance from his mother and elder sisters Doris and Gloria whom identified Douglas’s talent lead him to commencing formal Art Studies at Swinburne University (formally Prahran Technical College in 1931).
Graduating in 1934 he maintained a friendship with other renowned students and artists, such as Sir William Dargie and Sidney Nolan.
Douglas’ style was typical of a blended impressionism/realism, which was not in vogue at the time, as the abstract stream was commencing and he refused to follow this domain which he felt represented more of those artists who didn’t have the ability to produce work of an impressionism/realism style as was predominately exhibited at the time by the like of David Davies, Jane Price, William Nicholas Rowell, Clara Sothern and Arthur Streeton of the Heidelberg School who Douglas greatly admired, viewing their works and met with some on occasions. Douglas felt the true image and feeling of a subject could not be portrayed without complete respect of the genuine environment and surrounds. Therefore almost all his work is plein-air in a blending the impressionist/realism style.
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 until 1940 as an artist with Athol Shmith (Fashion/Society Photographer). He then completed his post graduate studies in Fine Arts in 1940.
Douglas exhibited extensively at the Victoria Artists Society. Douglas reduced exhibiting his works due to it on numerous occasions being stolen. Then with the out break of World War II, he felt it was honorable to joined the Air Force and do what was right, to help others.
He managed to get a short break from the war efforts returning quickly to Melbourne to marry the love of his life, Lyla Foster on the 24th February 1944, but had to return to northern Australia due to continued pressure by the Japanese in the Pacific.
At the end of the War returning to his home at 6 Leopold Street, Glen Iris. His son Jeff was soon born there in 1946.
With post War boom and prosperity of the Menzie Era, Douglas commenced his family and as such his paintings were reflective of this optimism and promised prosperity.
For the next 6 years he was pulled between the love and life, of landscape and portrait painting and the emotional and financial demands of starting a family.
So that by 1951 he was supporting his wife and children Jeff, Graeme and Madeleine. To supplement his income he worked as a commercial artist. In 1952 he moved to East Doncaster as an area more suited to growing families and for it proximity to the Yarra Valley regions of Warrandyte and Templestowe where he found the scenery enchanting and captivating beauty as did those artists of the Heidelberg School. Therefore many of his works heavily represented these same vicinities in his own style.
He exhibited at numerous locations and kept his studio running full time. His family increased with additional children, Michael, Francesca, Paul, Kevin and Lisa, totaling 8 children. Due to his love of his family it was not uncommon for these children to be reflected in some Landscape scenes and Portraits.
In 1965 Douglas took a sabbatical to Dampier, the same time the Dampier Port was being established. He was captivated by the harsh beauty and emotion of the region as is displayed in his works of areas around King Bay, Cape Leveque, Burrup Peninsula, Hearsons Cove and Bularra. He would return to these places many times due to their beauty.
He enjoyed the area and climate immensely, so much so that he wanted to relocate to the Dampier area but due to family commitments this was not possible. His art work of the area is unique as many of the locations that he captured no longer exist as the area has since been replaced by one of Australia’s largest liquid natural gas development.
Returning to the Yarra Valley he would continually exploring the surrounding areas around Warrandyte, Templestowe, Donvale, Park Orchards, Kangaroo Ground and alike capturing the ambiance and mood of these unique landscapes. He exhibited at Victoria Government House (for the Queens visits) in 1964. As well as multiple exhibits at locations around Melbourne at various state Libraries, Universities, various prize shows, (e.g. Archibald) and financial institutions. His works are currently held in a number of private collections around the world in the UK, US, Belgium, Paris and Hong Kong.
Later in life he spend more time pursuing his own works while working as a teacher from his studio in East Doncaster, on television, at various TAFEs and Monash University. As well as illustrating the book the poetry book “Beside My Hearth”.His style did change later in life with the movement to a more vivid colour expression of the natural landscape environment which was reflective of his views of life having more freedom and the heavy responsibilities of supporting a family of eight children was now lifted, as his children had matured and were pursuing their own lives.
Most of his works are fresh and optimistic. However on some occasions unexpected families stresses are noticeable. More noticeable in his self portrait in the late 1970s, exhibiting the stress from his son Michael who was seriously ill for a number of years and subsequently passed away.
Regretfully, Douglas too fell ill, with cancer and found himself hospitalised for a year until he died at the age of 78.
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