Patrick Dougherty

My focus has always been primarily on painting, because that's what I do, and I understand it. But it's nice to mix it up once and a while.

I was really pleased to come across Patrick Dougherty's website recently (www.stickwork.net). One reason is that there is a permanent installation of his work at the headquarters of Wieden+Kennedy here in Portland, Oregon (see here and here for pics). Only I did not know until now who the artist was. And now I'm glad I do. I only wish it were possible to teleport around the planet and see more of his creations. He began by with an interest in primitive building techniques and started experimenting with saplings as construction material. He has to date, constructed over 200 of these large scale works. Nature is clearly the primary influence here and one is immediately reminded of the nests of weaver birds and the dams and lodges of beavers among others, but his work also incorporates architectural elements signifying it's innately human origins. His art creates a marvelous psychological bridge between the human and natural environments.















"The Summer Palace" 2009
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Photographer: Rob Cardillo.















"Around The Corner" summer 2003
University of Southern Indiana, New Harmony Gallery, New Harmony, IN
Photographer: Doyle Dean.















"Around The Corner" winter






















"Spinoffs" 1990
Decordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusettes
Photographer: George Vasquez.






















"Crossing Over" 1996
American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Photographer: Dennis Cowley.















"Childhood Dreams" 2007
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona
Photographer: Adam Rodriguez.