STICKWork

Patrick Dougherty was born in Oklahoma in 1945, but was raised and has spent much of his life in North Carolina. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina in 1967 and an M.A. in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa in 1969, before later returning to the University of North Carolina to study art history and sculpture.

​

Talking about his work at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 2018, Dougherty spoke on his journey towards becoming an artist. He shared that "at some moment I decided I was going to quit school, go home, build a studio, and get to work. It’s one thing to know that you have a right to make something. It’s another thing to know what you’re going to make, and how you’re going to make it.”

 

“It wasn’t so unusual that a woodsman like myself would see the potential of the saplings along his driveway because they’re plentiful, they’re renewable, and it’s just like having a giant warehouse at your fingertips...and when I turned to sculpture, it seemed easy to co-opt the forces of nature and play that natural drawing style out onto the surfaces of these large works.” By using locally-harvested materials to construct his pieces, Dougherty began to strike a balance between the built environment and the natural world.

​

In Dougherty's early years as an artist, his work transitioned from small-scale creations to the large installations and sculptures that he is recognized for today. Dougherty has built upwards of 250 structures around the world.

 

For more information on Patrick Dougherty, his career, and a list of his installations, visit www.stickwork.net.