Stickwork

by Patrick Dougherty

Using minimal tools and a simple technique of bending, interweaving, and fastening together sticks, artist PatrickDougherty creates works of art inseparable with nature and the landscape. With a dazzling variety of forms seamlesslyintertwined with their context, his sculptures evoke fantastical images of nests, cocoons, cones, castles, and beehives. Over the last twenty-five years, Dougherty has built more than two hundred works throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia that range from stand-alone structures to a kind of modern primitive architectureevery piece mesmerizing in its ability to fly through trees, overtake buildings, and virtually defy gravity. Stickwork , Dougherty's first monograph, features thirty-eight of his organic, dynamic works that twist the line between architecture, landscape, and art. Constructed on-site using locally sourced materials and local volunteer labor, Dougherty's sculptures are tangles of twigs and branches that have been transformed into something unexpected and wild, elegant and artful, and often humorous. Sometimes freestanding, and other times wrapping around trees, buildings, railings, and rooms, they are constructed indoors and in nature. As organic matter, the stick sculptures eventually disintegrate and fade back into the landscape. Featuring a wealth of photographs and drawings documenting the construction process of each remarkable structure, Stickwork preserves the legend of the man who weaves the simplest of materials into a singular artistic triumph.

Genres: Art

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2010

Reviews

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

After seeing some of Dougherty's art in a local museum, I had to know more about him. The only downside to this book is that it's now so old that it doesn't include his more recent works. A fascinating read.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Patrick Dougherty's stick art. This book gives an interesting background on some of his pieces.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. Corresponds with upcoming exhibition at the Denver Botanic Gardens - always nice to know a bit about the artist.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Bookthreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read our conversation about the book at https://bookthreat.com/2017/06/21/wow...

[SmarterLilac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific. An informative and fun introduction to the sculptures of the author, who is as good at writing as he is at creating his brushy masterpieces. I was especially fascinated to read about the construction process through which the works are completed, and to note that Dougherty evidently didn't finish art school until the mid-1980s, when (assuming the birth date on the jacket flap is correct) he would have been around forty. I'm always intrigued by artists who didn't hit their stride until later in life (which is most of us, I think.)

'I remind the hesitant volunteers that, when we were young, the ubiquitous stick was an everyday part of childhood play. It was a tool, a weapon, a rafter. I point out my belief that we inherit stick knowhow from our ancestors. So any volunteer can quickly find that knack, the basic urge to build, and the self-conscious volunteers set aside their hesitancies and are fully energized in the act of making.'

[May-Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I love Dougherty's work and have seen a couple of installations in person, I found the writing in the book to be lacking. I didn't get a sense for the inspiration or his process enough to dive deeply into the text. I did flip through his work and it was wonderful to see the evolution of his body of work.

[LaLa · Rating 5 out of 5]

With every page I wanted more and more to invite Mr Dougherty anywhere I was going to be to please please build something for me and my community!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool forms that look like they grew there. Love the interplay of natural materials in unnatural shapes.

[Christie Angleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a cool book! Really makes me think about the possibility of a stick.