Doug Rugh (pronounced roo) spent his childhood in the Middle East and as a teenager apprenticed to artisans in Cairo, Egypt. He was involved with the arts at the Putney School in Vermont and went on to study at the Maryland Institute College of Art. From there he studied with Will Wilson and Anne Schuler at the Schuler School of Fine Arts, an atelier which specializes in materials and methods of the old masters. He completed his BFA in 1994 at the Rhode Island School of Design with highest honors.

Since then Doug created original works of art for such clients as: Barnes and Noble, Taunton Press, Microsoft, Prudential, The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Newsweek and The Washington Post. Commissioned work appeared regularly on book and magazine covers as well as in numerous publications.

Doug now devotes all of his time to creating oil paintings for galleries. He also accepts portrait commissions and his works are in private collections around the world.