There is a particular pleasure in a new Doug Hyde collection arriving. The crates come in, the frames come out, and the gallery fills up with his rounded, smiling characters in a way a photograph never quite manages. Snapshots of Summer, Doug's new collection, has just arrived with us and is on display now at Callender Street, while stocks last.
The moments nobody thinks to photograph
The collection is about the moments nobody thinks to photograph — the friendship, the daft afternoon, the day at the coast that turns out to be the one you remember. Long evenings, seaside outings, a dog at your side. It is Doug doing what he has always done best: saying something warm about the people we love without a single facial feature to lean on, just posture, gesture and colour.
Ten pieces in all: eight framed limited edition giclées, two of them finished with glitter, and two resin sculptures.
The pieces
Pure Magic
Doug's character in a moonlit meadow, reaching up towards glowing heart-shaped lights as they drift skyward. It is finished with fine silver glitter, so the hearts sparkle as you move past it — one to see in person.
Shine Bright
The collection's small burst of pure optimism: a single glowing golden balloon held aloft, with hand-applied glitter that catches the light just as the balloon does.
Beach Buddies
Doug's grinning character parked at the seaside in a little vintage green Fiat, dogs aboard and ready for the off. Pure holiday nostalgia — the packed car, the salt air, and everyone you love within arm's reach. The Beach Buddies sculpture, the same scene in three dimensions, has already found a home.
See A Man About A Dog
Doug's characters and their fluffy companion outside a traditional pub, hanging baskets and all — that time-honoured summer excuse given charming, literal form.
Whatever The Weather
A row of characters along a wooden promenade, each under a brightly coloured umbrella. The most British of promises — that a bit of rain never spoiled a day out. We suspect this one will speak to Belfast in particular.
Better Together
Shoulder to shoulder with a canine companion, watching the sun go down over the water. Nothing happens in the picture, and that is precisely the point.
Every Step Of The Way
Standing quietly on coastal rocks, a small dog at their side, looking out over calm water. A picture about the friend who doesn't need the view explained — they just share it.
Good Times Ahead
Two characters freewheeling through a sunlit wood by bicycle. It is about momentum and optimism: the road ahead dappled with light, the destination less important than the company.
Double Trouble
The collection's cheekiest moment, in three dimensions: a peace sign, oversized red sunglasses and a partner-in-crime dog. Cold-cast resin, and the pair of them clearly up to something.
About the editions
The giclées are limited editions of 295, each signed by Doug and presented framed with a certificate of authenticity. Double Trouble is a smaller edition of 195. Some of the editions are already sold out at the publisher, so for those, once ours has gone, that's it.
A word on Doug Hyde
Doug started out in 2002 as an amateur, painting pictures for family and friends in his spare time. By 2005 he had been named the UK's best-selling published artist, and a BBC national news broadcast described him as the country's most popular living artist. He has since been the subject of five books and exhibited as far afield as Japan, and his collectors include Holywood's own Rory McIlroy.
The intention behind the work has not changed in all that time. His stated aim is simple — to provoke a positive response in the people who see it — and it still comes from the same place: his family and his enthusiasm for life.
Come and see them
Snapshots of Summer is on display now at our gallery on Callender Street, in the centre of Belfast. Glitter in particular never photographs the way it looks on the wall, so if you can call in, do. If a piece has caught your eye and you can't get in, give us a ring on 028 9023 3535 or send us a message and we'll put your name on it.
We have been selling art in Belfast since 1982, and a new Doug Hyde collection is still one of the better days in the calendar.
