In the late 1950s, Douthwaite made the decision to take up a career in visual art, rather than dance, with Fergusson persuading her not to engage in formal art education. She left Scotland in 1958, and associated herself with a wide artistic crowd which included
Robert MacBryde,
Robert Colquhoun, Peter Cook,
Roger Law, and
William Crozier, the latter of whom she had met in Glasgow. She moved into Crozier's house in Essex in 1958, however the extent of her relationship with many other of these artists is not clear. In December 1963 Douthwaite exhibited alongside the artists Philip Jones and Bill Featherstone at the
Grabowski Gallery in London. Douthwaite exhibited with the
Women's International Art Club in London between 1960 and 1966. Although much of her work explores issues surrounding femininity and womanhood, Douthwaite did not self identify as a feminist. She was the recipient of various awards from the Scottish Arts Council. In 2005, following her death, the
Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh held a memorial exhibition. Douthwaite's work pursued a variety of themes including the Manson Trial, American Women Bandits and the aviator
Amy Johnson. == Exhibitions of work ==