Patrick Dougher, Multidisciplinary Artist:
I was born and raised in Brooklyn.
I still live here. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. To me, nothing compares to the spirit, the soul, the diversity, the creativity. Brooklyn is just — we used to say it’s the planet, and it still feels like that to me.
Coming of age in New York and in Brooklyn, and particularly from a dysfunctional, financially disadvantaged family, it was tough. But it was also incredibly vibrant. Punk rock was happening. Hip-hop was just happening. Graffiti was becoming accepted.
I grew up walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum. I had a great love for art and a great interest in art as a kid. And I had enough of an understanding to realize that the art depicted in a museum wasn’t really for me.
When I did finally go to the Brooklyn Museum, I just didn’t see brown people on the walls. Having my art shown in venues like the Brooklyn Museum and high-end galleries feels like redemption. It feels like the full circle.
I am a multidisciplinary artist. I’m a self-taught musician and fine artist, a writer, a poet. Being self-taught is being open. I never knew what I couldn’t do. No one ever told me the limitations, so I enter into every project with a newness, with a willingness to learn.
I think, if I had access to art and to art instruction as a child, it would have made the process of creation maybe a little smoother, but maybe not as fun. There’s an excitement about learning something for yourself and by yourself.
I paint people of color. And, because of that, I’m pigeonholed as a Black artist. I don’t think white artists have that same stigma. I paint people that are in my environment. I paint people that I find beautiful. I don’t necessarily think that I’m painting Black people as a statement. It just feels natural.
My experiences and my culture influence every aspect of my life. My views on spirituality and social justice come directly from where I was raised and how I was raised. There’s no separation between that perspective and my work.
My name is Patrick Dougher, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on Brooklyn, art and magic.
