Stickwork

Yesterday I had promised myself that the whole day, a precious day at home, would be devoted to working on my many projects.  And I was doing very well until the mail arrived right before lunch with a small box piled on top of the junk mail and catalogs.  Inside were two books that I had discovered earlier in the week as I was taking a wander around the Amazon bookstore.  I have forgotten the goal of my search because I became completely distracted by a book of works by Patrick Dougherty, an artist who weaves sticks into imaginative architectural installations.

His work reminds me a bit of Andy Goldsworthy's intriguing natural creations, and since I had been ignoring my bookaholic urges in the past couple of months, I decided to give in to this one.  And I made a good decision.  I spent a long delightful lunch break with Stickwork, dipping into the introduction and paging through his wonderful whimsical and inspiring creations--and managing not to get spaghetti sauce on my brand new artbook.  

Perhaps I like his works so much because he connects them so often with trees, one of my favorite subjects, or perhaps the woven, swirling nature of these structures reminds me of the interlacing of Celtic knotwork that I love so much.  Whatever it is, I am looking forward to getting to know his work better.  

More on the second book at another time--and if you are still reading, thanks for the company.