Patrick L. Dougherty

Wilder, KY | In Memoriam

The vessel is my main focus in my pottery and the challenge of painting ‘in the round’ is the major driving force in my work. Though I am inspired by the making of demanding forms on the potter’s wheel, the confrontation involved in successfully painting on those forms is what motivates and excites me. I don’t want the paintings to be on the form; I want them to be of the form. The imagery is an honest expression of who I am and how I relate to the world in both conscious and subconscious levels. Through the wheel, insights are gained into form; though the painting, insights are gained into my Self.

Architectural Ceramics
Incorporating architectural ceramics into my repertoire was a natural progression in the evolution of my work in clay from my earliest beginnings in producing functional pottery. Those functional pots evolved when I introduced color and painting into that work and also my on-of-a-kind vessels and platters. In 2002, I began making custom sinks painted in a similar palette and style as my pottery. That led to producing and painting matching tiles, which in turn led to working on a larger scale. That work at present includes: fireplace mantles, backsplashes and countertops, door and window surrounds, mirrors, chair-rail and accent tiles, corbels, and sconces.