Born in Glasgow in 1934, Pat Douthwaite started her career as a dancer before moving into a career in art. A self-taught artist, she was encouraged to pursue her artwork by the Scottish colourist J.D. Ferguson. She exhibited with success throughout the following decades, although her career was hampered in a number of ways. It has been suggested that her demanding work habits and personality clashes with peers added to her difficulties. Her style was also very unusual for the time, considered out of the mainstream of popular artworks. Douthwaite lived an unusual and bohemian lifestyle, becoming friends with many other famous figures involved in arts and culture as she travelled around the world. She died in 2002, in Dundee. Although it has been argued that Douthwaite would have achieved greater success had she been born later, she received attention and accolades from a number of sources throughout her career. Her work is currently held in many high profile collections, including the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.