Bio
For five years Patrick L. Dougherty taught ceramics and three-dimensional design at a university. In 1986 he left teaching and has been a studio potter ever since. The vessel is the main focus of his pottery. Making demanding forms on the potter’s wheel inspires him, and the confrontation involved in successfully painting on those forms motivates and excites him. Patrick says, “I don’t want the paintings to be on the form; I want them to be of the form.”
Adding architectural ceramics to his repertoire was a natural progression in the evolution of his work. Early in his career, he began painting his functional pots and one-of-a-kind platters and vessels. In 2002 he started making custom sinks painted in a similar palette and style. That led to creating tiles to match the sinks, which in turn led to working on a larger scale. He now produces a full line of architectural elements including countertops, door and window surrounds, fireplace mantles, corbels, sconces, accent tiles, murals and donor walls.
Patrick greatly enjoys the collaborative nature of the commission process. He believes that the quality of our surroundings has a direct influence on the quality of our lives and that architectural embellishment can uplift the human spirit. It is his goal to enrich his client’s visual environment and raise it above the mundane.