{"id":600547,"date":"2026-07-23T16:27:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/600547\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T16:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:27:21","slug":"patrick-doughertys-stickwork-installations-conjure-connections-with-nature-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/600547\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Dougherty’s ‘Stickwork’ Installations Conjure Connections with Nature \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than four decades, environmental artist Patrick Dougherty<\/a> has reimagined the technical and sculptural capabilities of one simple material: twigs. Over the years, the North Carolina-based artist completed well over 300 large-scale, site-specific installations in a series he calls Stickworks, using literal truckloads of willow saplings from specialized farms in Canada that grow them for applications like fencing, basketmaking, and more. Where possible, Dougherty has also incorporated materials the local area had to offer.<\/p>\n

I first stumbled upon the artist\u2019s whimsical constructions in Door County, Wisconsin, where \u201cHappy Go Lucky\u201d sits at Horseshoe Bay Farms near Egg Harbor. By the time I experienced the work, it had already been colonized by Virginia creeper vines, which turn bright red in the autumn. The piece is simultaneously structural and fantastical, providing an inviting armature for nature, including insects.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Jealous Wall.\u201d Image courtesy of Docent<\/p>\n

Some of Dougherty\u2019s public installations take architectural forms consisting of arches and towers, such as \u201cSea Change\u201d and \u201cRough \u2018n Tumble.\u201d \u201cAll in the Family\u201d resembles a group of larger-than-life urns. And others lean into a sense that the forest is always in a state of reclaiming. \u201cThe Jealous Wall\u201d is constructed around existing buildings, as if the saplings are growing in slow motion and and engulfing everything in its path, not unlike the way nature, left to its own devices, will always redeem its space. All of his works emphasize an invitation, as visitors are encouraged to walk around and through the sculptures.<\/p>\n

Pieces created over the past decade or so also bear the signature of artist Sam Dougherty, who provided full-time assistance in addition to his own pottery practice<\/a>. Semi-retired now, Patrick Dougherty is still making works in his studio, and a recent exhibition at the Brahm Blowing Rock Art & History Museum<\/a> included a wall-to-wall display of gloves collected over the years and signed by the volunteers who helped to install the works. Explore more from the archive on the artist\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cHappy Go Lucky.\u201d Image courtesy of Horseshoe Bay Farms<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cHopscotch.\u201d Image courtesy of The Wild Center<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cGrand Center.\u201d Photo by Bob Joy<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFly Away Home.\u201d Photo by Kurt Hilton Photography<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFinders Keepers.\u201d Photo by Sam Pope<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cAll in the Family.\u201d Photo by Blake Marvin<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>Detail of \u201cAll in the Family.\u201d Photo by Blake Marvin<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cSea Change.\u201d Photo by Brian Janssen<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cSea Change.\u201d Photo by Brian Janssen<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cHopscotch.\u201d Image courtesy of The Wild Center<\/p>\n

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