Wade Douglas was a creative and sensitive child, always drawing and dreaming. However; as part of a military family growing up in the 1980’s, he was discouraged against a career in the arts. To adapt to what he saw as a need to be practical instead of sensitive, he hardened his heart and learned to hide his feelings. He graduated high school and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating with a degree in Computer Science in 1997. He continued on in a very demanding military career. However, he always felt that something was missing. He knew a large part of that was someone to share his life’s journey with.
He fell in love with and married a medical student, supporting her while she was in medical school and residency training by working for the Department of Navy in systems acquisition. His marriage began to change him, as it was not a task to be completed through discipline and effort alone, but through love. This was a difficult transition for him because he had closed off his heart out of a pragmatic need to excel. Early on in his marriage, Wade began to explore painting in acrylics as a way to express himself and get back in touch with his reemerging humanity and vulnerability.
After his wife’s medical training was completed and she began her own career in 2009, he decided to pursue his own passion and went back to school to find what was missing…art. After a few attempts, Wade was accepted to pursue his Master’s Degree in Interactive Entertainment (Art Emphasis) from University of Central Florida at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. At least a decade older and less experienced in digital art than his peers, he completed the program relying heavily on his computer science background and tenacity. However, his true passion was on the art side rather than programming. This made his post-graduate job hunting very challenging. Falling back on his military background, he was able to obtain employment in the simulation industry. However, these jobs still left him wanting for an outlet in which to express himself. He found himself pursuing an interest in the fine arts that his post-graduate education had ignited. He admired and studied the works of different historical and contemporary master oil painters such as John William Waterhouse, Pino Daeni, and Michael & Inessa Garmash. Their ability to express the emotion of a loving soul with their portrayals fascinated him.
Wanting to utilize his recently acquired skills in the digital arts, Wade decided to direct his efforts on fine art pieces created with 3D/2D software. Seeking to express himself and capture the fluidity and expression of oils with an industry toolset ripe with technological advances, he pursued his passion. At first, Wade worked on his fine art in his spare time, but his wife’s blossoming career enabled him to dedicate even more of his time to the pursuit after 2013.
Like the masters who inspired him, he chose to concentrate on the female form to tackle the challenge of capturing their subtle physical characteristics and depth of feeling. In his view, women are one of God’s greatest masterpieces on earth. In observing the character of women like his spouse and female colleagues at West Point, he saw that women have the courage and strength to do things men could do, despite society often portraying them as weak. Having been exposed to both sides of machismo, Wade noted that women, in their humility, indeed possessed a strength that is unique and therefore admirable. It is through this feminine lens that Wade chooses to envision his fine art pieces. Since God embodies perfection regardless of gender, Wade seeks for his art to give new perspective to scripture and the feminine form together as God’s creation. This is why he chooses to embed a scripture verse into each of his works. Understanding that the feminine form can be perverted by the beholder like any of God’s other creations, he does not intend for his subjects to entice. Wade’s portrayals are of women being the main character in a phase of their own life story. Like men, women are used by the Lord in many ways besides just simply temptation and procreation. As the protagonist, the female faces many trials which Wade chooses to portray with symbolic devices showing timeless beauty from the historic and contemporary to fantastic fictional lands.
Frustrated with the lack of control of the final product that digital art provided to a fine artist’s expression, Wade found himself drawn back to the traditional medium of paint on canvas. In 2015, he decided to let go of his digital comforts and work in oils like the masters he wished to emulate. After spending a semester at Crealdé School of Art learning the different techniques of oil painting, he transitioned completely to oils. Wade believes all of his experience in the digital medium has made him a more complete artist as he continues to seek to grow with each work he completes.

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