Artist Profile: Doug Pisik

By Ellen Samsell Salas

 

Master woodworker Doug Pisik loves creating things that never existed. As a Georgia Tech-educated engineer, he designed flight simulators and software that routed freight or helped people work more efficiently. Three years ago, buoyed by the positive response to his art, he left the corporate world and became a full-time artist.

Now, in his “sawdust-making room,” using more than 100 hand tools, power tools, and clamps, Pisik creates.

“I love it,” he said. “I’m still creative, and in selling my art, I’m still in business, which I also love.”

Pisik has taught himself how to make art boxes, sculptures, and wall pieces so arrayed with colors, tones, and textures that the longer one views his works, the more beauty is revealed. Composed of anywhere from 10 to 1,000 pieces each, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, his works invite the viewer to experience them from all sides.

Unique to Pisik’s art is his “through-pattern construction,” a technique in which his intricate, often geometric designs appear not only on the outside surfaces, but also on the insides of his boxes and on the backs of his sculptures.

As enticing as is the visual experience of Pisik’s compositions, so too is the tactile experience.

“I use oil varnishes and other oil finishes, and I encourage people to touch and feel my work,” Pisik said. “It’s another element. People like to run their fingers across the pattern, and they’re surprised that there is the feel of one solid surface.”

No matter how many pieces, shapes, and varieties of wood are woven into a work, the finished item appears to be a seamless entity.

“If there is a gap the size of a human hair, if a piece is off by a hundredth of an inch, you can feel it,” he said.

Mostly using hardwoods, Pisik avoids dyes or stains, preferring instead to tap into the natural colors, patterns, tones, and contrasts of natural material. While he does turn to purveyors of exotic options, lumberyards and fallen trees also provide striking additions to his wood palette.

Pisik’s pieces appear to have required extensive planning, perhaps even mathematical calculations, but his process is fairly organic. Starting with an idea, he designs as he works, adjusting when necessary. Sometimes, he notices something isn’t cut right, or the piece isn’t coming together visually.

“These pieces usually lead to something that’s much better than my original plan. The pieces evolve, as I find ways to solve challenges,” he said. “I don’t cover up a problem. I let the piece flow where it wants to go,” he explained.

Recently, Pisik explored thematic art sculpture in his four-piece collection, COVID-19 Art for Troubled Times, which he hopes will eventually be displayed in a museum for public viewing.

Inspired by the joy of creating, Pisik said, “I love the transformation of the material. I love being able to take something that’s solid and convert it to something in my brain. To make complex patterns and fit them together with my hands is truly fascinating.”

You can see Doug Pisik’s art at Robert Kent Galleries or by visiting his website or social media pages: DougPisik.com, Facebook.com/DougPisikWoodArt, Instagram.com/dougpisik.