Discover the fascinating work of Pat Douthwaite as our blog series continues to share stories of the collection. Welcome to the fourth blog post from the Collection Technicians!
Image: ‘Zoom Bird and Bees’, Pat Douthwaite, 1986.
Originally commissioned for a maternity ward, this painting by Pat Douthwaite hides a surprise!
Pat Douthwaite was born in Glasgow in 1934. She didn’t attend art school but instead studied mime and dance with Margaret Morris, whose husband was Scottish Colourist J.D. Fergusson. In the 1950s Douthwaite left her career in dance to become a visual artist, likely encouraged by Fergusson.
Famously proclaiming herself as the “High Priestess of the Grotesque” the painting Zoom Birds and Bees feels a little happy for someone who’s work often features awkward and sometimes haunting imagery. It shows a large red bird in flight with two bees below it, sitting on a calm green background.
However, look to the back and you can see Pat’s antidote to this cheery image of buzzing bees and flying birds. On the reverse is a painting of a woman hunched over frowning and smoking. She holds her hand up in front of her, on looking closer you can see that one of her fingers is a lit cigarette.
Image: The painting on the back of Pat Douthwaite’s ‘Zoom Bird and Bees’ discovered to be ‘Woman in Orange with a Pink Bow’
A lot of discussion has been going on in the store and collections team about this painting. Having made the exciting discovery of two paintings in one, we have a very fun problem to solve, how to display it? Currently we’re thinking about possibly designing a secondary frame which allows the painting to be swung out, so everyone can have the fun of discovering Douthwaite surprise figure.
On researching more I discovered an article by ARTuk which names our hidden portrait as “Woman in Orange with a Pink Bow,” so perhaps not so secret after all. We’re currently in the process of investigating more about this piece, we want to know exactly why Douthwaite’s portrait was hidden on the reverse of this painting. Did she paint on the reverse of it simply because she didn’t like it. Was she trying to send a hidden message? Was it a commentary just for herself? We plan on finding out, and we’ll be sure to let you all know!
Caring for the Collection is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund Scotland.
Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to dedicate time to improve the condition of our artworks currently in our store, so that they will be able to be displayed in health and social care settings across Scotland.
Museum & Galleries Technician Modern Apprenticeship is supported by Museums Galleries Scotland provider of the apprenticeship, mentor and SCQF level 7
18 February 2026 by
Amy Miles