Patti Dougherty
Spiral Shell Necklace
Handmade glass beads with sterling silver links
18” length
About Patti Dougherty
"In my years as a visual artist I have chosen symbolic forms that are both universal and personal to express the idea of “time.” Often I use nests, eggs, marine creatures, and one-celled organisms. They are symbols for natural phenomenas that manifest this notion of time. I have reinterpreted these forms in states of birth and decay, remnants of our primeval past and our endangered future. My visual vocabulary is derived from many sources, some are apparent, some are obscure. Most are abstractions to allow the viewer to ponder the creatures and events or the possible patterns they embody.
It is a privilege to be close to the natural world. After college I traveled to South America, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and England to study the history of glass, ancient civilizations, and the natural world. Those adventures have informed my work and inspired me to keep a journal with drawings, notes, found objects, and specimens.
After graduate school, I started a small business making glass beads and jewelry. Currently, many of the subjects of my work, both in painting and in glass, reside in Bonaire about ten feet under the Caribbean Sea. I have been a volunteer “reef surveyor” for Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (bonaireturtles.org). During this scientific study I am a “spotter” of sea turtles and a variety of marine creatures. This allows me to gather mental images and ponder the many species of coral that exist in the underwater world, noting both their abundance and condition. It allows me to focus on threatened or endangered species. After seeing a specific sea creature, I do a painting from memory. In this way, I can carefully examine a specimen taking note of its habitat and the environmental challenges it faces. Ultimately, what I study is reinterpreted in glass, jewelry, and now in paintings on paper. The ever-changing seascape and creatures are the subjects, and I marvel at the minute details, textures, and movements. Through my art, I visually capture an iconic creature engage viewers and remind them of our fragile marine environment."