Meet Doug,
The Birdhouse Builder

I have always had a deep connection to nature, and often find beauty in ordinary and easily ignored objects, which reflects heavily in my art and basically everything I do.

 

I was born in Centralia, WA and grew up exploring the woods and the rocky shores of the Puget Sound. Growing up in the PNW has allowed me to nurture my connection and love for Nature and adventuring the outdoors, in what I like to call a ‘Pacific Northwest induced wanderlust’.
Ever since I can remember, I have always been interested in art. From a very early age, it has been an integral part of my life. I started drawing from a young age and most of my drawing skills and knowledge are self-taught.
My earliest and biggest influences were both my younger brother Luke , and my older brother Steve , both artists with amazing talent. Both have encouraged me to be creative and most of what I know about sculpting and painting I learned from Steve.

In the past, I have worked with Frigo Scandia designing refrigeration systems in Autocad and at REI as a bike technician where I have learned everything I know about bikes. Soon afterward I ventured out to open my own small business which has allowed me the independence to pursue my true passion: art.

I took sculpting classes and worked alongside my brother Steve, who is an established artist (he is the owner of Cellar Cast, a fantasy sculpting and casting business). I thoroughly enjoyed fantasy sculpting and had the opportunity to have my sculptures sold  to Canada, UK and Japan.

Becoming open to many different artistic mediums and paths has helped me to develop my creative style into unique pieces I am very proud of.

Luke & Guapo- Love you always, I will always be grateful for you and your life and the love you gave me.

Remembering & Honoring

In the past eleven years I have been struck by the loss of two of the most important people in my life: my best friend Michael in 2011, and my younger brother Luke, to brain cancer in 2019.

Working with wood has provided me with a healthy way to cope with grief and anxiety. Taught me about mindfulness and gave me the strength to pull through knowing that my grief will never be too big for Nature to hold. I find comfort in building birdhouses and foraging for all the natural elements I use to decorate them.

 

I believe my loved ones live on within me and I’m grateful for their influence in shaping the man I am today. Remembering and honoring them through my work gives me something positive to focus on.

When I build a birdhouse I am not just putting pieces of wood together. I am pouring my heart out, and it makes me so happy when people can see it reflected in the whimsy of my birdhouses.

Michael was an unforgettable character, larger than life. It is tough to lose a good friend, but I consider myself lucky to have had his friendship as part of my own life story.

Praise of a Man

by Norman MacCaig

He went through a company like a lamplighter –
see the dull minds, one after another,
begin to glow, to shed
a beneficent light.

He went through a company like
a knifegrinder – see the dull minds
scattering sparks of themselves,
becoming razory, becoming useful.

He went through a company
as himself. But now he’s one
of the multitudinous company of the dead
where are no individuals.

The beneficent lights dim
but don’t vanish. The razory edges
dull, but still cut. He’s gone: but you can see
his tracks still, in the snow of the world.