When you played outside as a kid, you probably tried your hand at building something — a house, a car, a magical castle — out of the twigs and sticks lying around the yard. It was a fun pastime for the afternoon, but did you ever wonder what would happen if you took things a bit further?
Artist Patrick Dougherty did. The North Carolina–based sculptor and installation artist creates huge, complex sculptures using sticks, branches, and even saplings, twisting, weaving, and forming them into organic-looking structures that would not look out of place in a fairy story.
For 30 years, Dougherty has created some 250 installations featuring these structures. He's inspired by the instinctual building of shelters by animals, as well as the creative exploration of children. His pieces resemble rounded and knobbly huts that look like they could house a wise and mystical creature.
Dougherty was working as a hospital administrator when he returned to the University of North Carolina wanting to learn sculpture and pursue it as a career. He started exploring the use of sticks and branches, and the rest was history.
Nature inspires all kinds of artists with all kinds of styles, from delicate and meticulous portraits created with flowers and leaves to larger, more substantial pieces like Dougherty's.
Take a look at some of the amazing things he's created!
[H/T: Lost At E Minor]
Artist Patrick Dougherty left his job as a hospital administrator more than 30 years ago to pursue a career in sculpture and installation art.
He was fascinated by branches and sticks. For them, they hearkened back to days of childhood play and creativity, as well as to the human instinct to build.
"I think this 'know how' [of building with branches] is one that every human carries as a legacy from our hunting and gathering past," he said in an interview.
Since his career change, he's built and shown his artwork all around the world.
Although he initially started building sculptures that were around his own height, he soon started constructing larger and larger pieces, until he was building very large structures.
His work has become very popular with botanical gardens and arboretums, and he has help from volunteers to gather his materials.
These volunteers, he says, come from all backgrounds and walks of life, and he often sees them bond over their experience.
And his works can be found all over the world, in all kinds of climates, and in any weather.
This set of windswept-looking buildings looks great in winter…
…and in summer.
Although with the changing of the seasons, you can also see how the personality of the structures seems to shift.
Other times, Dougherty doesn't make buildings at all. This running series of loops through the trees looks like the work of a strange and giant animal.
Naturally, each piece comes with its own challenges, including finding materials, getting everything to stand correctly, and even the weather. Other times, zoning laws get in the way of construction.
However, Dougherty is proud to say that he's always completed a commissioned piece on time.
On average, each of his installations takes about three weeks to build.
And depending on where they are, they can either be left up for as long as possible, or demolished.
Dougherty seeks to inspire people with his creations, to give them a sense of wonder and imagination, maybe the way children do when they start stacking sticks on the ground.
Their rounded, organic shapes are a striking contrast to the blocky buildings we inhabit in modern life, too.
And as you can see by these funny faces, he also likes to inject a little fun into the world.
And although they're not meant to be lived in, their natural, free-form shapes and handmade quality stir up a timeless feeling in viewers.
"They tend to remind people of their profound connection to the world of nature," Dougherty says, "and seem to foster fantasies of walking away from the geometry of the city dweller and fading back into the forest for a day."
Of course, being made of organic material, they won't last forever, so they also stir up thoughts of life cycles and impermanence.
And in his experience, the sculptures tend to bring out a sense of curiosity and wonder in their viewers.
Check out more of Dougherty's work on his website, including some behind-the-scenes photos of the sculptures being built. And be sure to SHARE this amazing artwork with anyone who loves to build and create!
