5 years ago I stumbled upon a painting of a beautiful woman that hung from the dimly lit walls of Hangar 1018. She had a cold face, painted in turquoise with lips of deep crimson and eyes that stared into my soul. Looking closer I saw a hideous grub sitting on the woman’s shoulder staring at me just as contently-yowzas!! This was my first taste of Los Angeles based artist, Ken Dougherty, not a beautiful woman, but quite an interesting dude. Working in oils Mr. Dougherty has always intrigued me with his propensity towards the macabre and innate ability to capture the soul in his subjects’ crystal clear eyes.
Nathan Cartwright: Beauty and some little Beasts collide in your work Ken—what draws you to such beautiful, yet macabre imagery?
Ken Dougherty: I’m inspired by the beauty of the opposite sex. I don’t know what it stems from honestly, maybe I’m totally normal, maybe not, but I grew up doodling and drawing girls from magazines, movies and books obsessively at a young age. It was just one of my biggest passions. On the other hand, I was always playing with bugs and drawing some morbid bloody scene of some sort, skulls, monsters and horror. Nowadays, I am striving to create imagery that feels as though it may reach out and touch, drip, crawl, or bite you…and then there are the eyes, always obsessed with the eyes.
Nathan Cartwright: Few artists can capture the essence of a person; you seem to do it well. What’s the secret to capturing the soul in painting?
Ken Dougherty: Honestly, for me, it’s all practice. Understanding the human form and drawing from life. I am always fine tuning the technical aspects of my work- perspective, foreshortening, shadow and light, volume and shape, negative space, etc.
Nathan Cartwright: I notice quite a bit of iconic movie star imagery in your work. Who are your influences outside of the art world?
Ken Dougherty:Besides watching Elvira mistress of the dark and horror as a child, classic movie stars have been extremely inspirational- Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Dorothy Lamour, to name a few.
Nathan Cartwright: You have been developing quite a body of work over the years—are you happy with how your art has been evolving?
Ken Dougherty: Absolutely, I’ve found a creative niche in my painting. I have learned so much, yet I have so much to learn. The fact that I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do for years, and people like it, is satisfying.
Nathan Cartwright: Which would you consider yourself in terms of as an artist and why? – a pop-surrealist, Hollywood Idealist, or Horror Enthusiast?
Ken Dougherty: Can I be a Horrified Pop-ideal-surrealist slash cross-section of everything? I don’t know how to label or compartmentalize what I do, how about Pop-surrealist, Hollywood Idealist twist. My work has evolved alongside an environment that sets idealistic standards on beauty and vanity.
Come see Dougherty’s work, opening July 5th at The Hive.