Archer Dougherty's portrait
Archer Dougherty:"Don’t be afraid. Of anything. Fears about others keep you from being yourself; fears about yourself keep you from being your best"
"Holding herself" - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: Who are you? And who you really are?
Archer Dougherty: Well, who I really am, may be hard to explain, as I’m
not sure myself. I’m not sure most people wouldn’t be able to fully answer that
question. But I know I am a creator, I create things….not just paintings but in
many different ways: sculpting, drawing, stained glass, found things…I draw and
paint mostly because I think that’s the purest way I’ve found of expressing
myself. I am also a wife, a sister, an aunt…I am very devoted to my family and
friends. But in terms of who I really am; I don’t know if I’ve found out yet.
Perhaps one day, when my work just clicks and everything falls into place, I
will know.
"Holding herself" finished work - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: If you
could say something important to others who were listening, what would you tell
them?
Archer Dougherty: Don’t be afraid. Of anything. Fears about others keep
you from being yourself; fears about yourself keep you from being your best.
"Third times a charm" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Out of the fire" - created by Archer D0ugherty
BPP: What is your true dream, the one that keeps you up at night and if one day it wereto come true you would feel peace and
calmness in your heart?
Archer Dougherty: To tell you the truth I am very lucky in the security
I feel both in myself and my life. My husband has a great deal to do with that.
But the thing that keeps me up at night…it’s my work. Not necessarily a true
dream; an unattainable or even attainable one; just about doing it, perhaps one
day finally realizing that what I’m doing is me, it’s really mine, and
the peace and oneness that comes with knowing what I’m doing is right and best
for me and my communication with others.
"The Jester" - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: How is
life currently for the people in your country and what would you wish for them
and for the planet at large?
Archer Dougherty:Wow…what a question. I think mostly what I feel I see
all the time, and that makes me discouraged and sad with people especially in
my country, is narrow-mindedness. I think if people were more like who they say
they are: good listeners, fair, and open-minded; a lot of what is happening
with my country would be on a better path. I’m not saying it will solve every
problem, because it won’t, I just think it might be easier to solve those
problems. It goes for everyone…me, people I know and people I don’t know, those
in government, etc. But I think it’s a lot to wish for, to want people to
understand the problems of others; to be empathetic. Me included.
"Caught between" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Ghost child" - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: If you
had a chance to be a child again would you choose the same life?
Archer Dougherty: Yes. I think there are dreams of idealized childhoods
that turn out perfect people; it’s not true, it never will be. Your own
childhood helped create who you are but the thing that mostly formed you as an
adult were decisions you made. To stay, to hang on, to leave, to quit when you
needed to, to continue, to fight, to love, to listen, to understand. A lot of
those things are hard. But they always were, for everyone.
"The Dutch witch" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Keeping up appearances" - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: What was the exact moment that you realized
what you wanted to do with your life?
How did you feel at this very moment?
Archer Dougherty: You know, there really was no epiphany or
“lightning-bolt” moment…I’ve been creating since I was little and naturally, both
in school and out, my life was formed around that. It wasn’t ever about the
question “what do you want to do with yourself?”, it was more like “this is who
I am…not something I do.”
"Snakes in the grass" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Prey" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Smoke and mirrors" - created by Archer Dougherty
BPP: Would
you like to tell us something we didn’t ask until now?
Archer Dougherty: That I wish to thank you very much for this
opportunity, for the generosity in inviting me to be a part of this project,
and that I feel very grateful…in everything. I am a very lucky person to be
doing what I am with my life, and I try not to take it for granted. Thank you!
Archer Dougherty's drawing for BPProject
Solo Exhibitions:
2011: Anima, Stranger Factory Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2011: In the Attic, Matrix Fine Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2009: A Place to Fly, Matrix Fine Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2008: Illumination, Matrix Fine Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2007: Curiosities, Yale Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
"Transformation" - created by Archer Dougherty
"Fletus Corvus: The Weeping Crow" - created by Archer Dougherty
Group Exhibitions:
2012: The Ballad of Molly Woad, Group Exhibition, Fine Grime Gallery UK
2012: Menagerie, Invitational Group Exhibition, Modern Eden Gallery, SF
2012: Surreal Salon IV, Baton Rouge Gallery for Contemporary Art
2011: Winter Salon, Stranger Factory NM
2011: The Agile Rabbit, Fine Grime Gallery, Bath UK
2011: Bewitched, Annual Halloween Exhibition, Stranger Factory
2011: Affordable Art Fair, London, UK
2011: Group Monthly Invitational, Hive Gallery, Los Angeles
2011: The New Surrealism, International Invitational, Modern Eden
Gallery, San Francisco
2011: Modern Vintage Narrative, Group Exhibition, Stranger Factory Gallery, NM
2011: Group Monthly Exhibition, Hive Gallery, Los Angeles
2011: Affordable Art Fair, New York City, NY
2010: International Juried Painting and Mixed Media Competition, Lessedra Gallery,
Sofia, Bulgaria
2009: Valley of the Dolls: A Sculptural Exploration, Dreamscapes Gallery, Albuquerque,
NM
2009: Looking Ahead, Matrix Fine Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2007: Under 500, Matrix Fine Art Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2007: Overture, Matrix Fine Art Gallery
2006: A Step Forward, Woodward Medical Center, Abuquerque, NM
2006: Eleven, Yale Art Center, Albuquerque, NM
2006: La Vida, Student Health Center, UNM, Albuquerque, NM
2004: Anagama Opening, Children's Workshop, Madrid, NM
Awards:
2007: Rachel Allen Printmaking Scholarship, New Grounds Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Publications:
2011: Anima: A Conversation with Archer Dougherty, by Amy Greenwood.
www.vinylgoddess.ca, August 29 2011
2011: A Conversation With Archer Dougherty, by Shawn Danielle.
Artseen, July 23 2011
2008: A Fine Showing in Nob Hill, by Wesley Pulkka. Albuquerque Journal, Sunday,
April 6
"What we've forgotten" - created by Archer Dougherty
"What you remember" - created by Archer Dougherty
Photos copyright by Archer Dougherty - All rights reserved
If you want to learn more about Archer Dougherty, please visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment