Pisik Creates Treasures for Private, Corporate Collections

Artist Doug Pisik’s interest in woodworking began as a young boy growing up in Deerfield, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. His father, a corporate executive, enjoyed making simple furniture and fixing things around the house, including creating toys for Doug like rubber band guns. At an early age, Doug learned how to use a saw, hammer, drill, sander, and other tools. He loved creating something out of nothing, even props to enhance his entries at science fair competitions.

Graduating from Georgia Tech in 1985 with an electrical engineering degree, he landed a job at General Electric developing flight simulators in Florida for five years before moving to Atlanta in 1991 working in IT. Moving into his first apartment, Doug bought a few tools and, over time, began what would become a lifelong career designing treasured works in wood. While Pisik was mechanically inclined, it was pre-Internet and he taught himself the artform, subscribed to woodworking magazines, and developed many of his own techniques.

As Doug created one piece at a time, a turning point came when he entered his works into his first museum show in 2007 and was then classified as a “Master Woodworker” by the Woodworker’s Guild of Georgia in 2008. His passionate interest in the artistic potential of wood launched what would become a world-class lifelong career.

In 2017, Pisik’s first gallery show did so well, the following year he left the corporate world to become a full-time wood artist. His works were recognized and Lois Reitzes interviewed Doug in 2019 about his artform, and several times thereafter. Individuals whose work often inspires Doug include Frank Lloyd Wright, Mondrian, Brancusi, and Rietveld. His inspiration also comes from taking random pics of things around him that have shapes and forms that catch his attention. Sticking to original ideas, often the final works look nothing like the inspiring imagery he sees and it’s more like a catalyst that triggers new designs for his creations.

For decades, alongside a variety of artworks, Doug’s specialties include being known for his exquisitely detailed art boxes with unique geometric patterns formed from solid wood construction instead of veneers. The patterns repeat inside the boxes and possess an intricate “wow” factor when you look inside. He also creates sculptural works including 3D wall art and free-standing sculptures, many with moving pieces that encourage the viewer to reposition and enjoy its possibilities

Judaica works made of wood are also amongst his many accomplished public pieces integrated at synagogues with purpose and beauty. Some of his most exciting projects range from Temple Kol Emeth where he installed a 16-foot artistic bench he created commemorating their 40th anniversary. The distinctive back is an array of 86 inscribed acrylic-covered cubbies that contain scrolls with prayers from the congregation.

Doug commented, “I also created an 11-foot-tall dynamic tower that was loaned to the Kennesaw Smith Gilbert Gardens. It had cubes with different designs and colors that the garden visitors could rotate to change patterns. My latest design is an abstract dancer sculpture made of geometric forms that rotate though each other so the dancer can be ‘posed’ many ways.”

Regarding the Judaica works, Doug said, “I designed and created Stars of David art as gifts for my nieces and nephews b’nai mitzvahs. They replaced the 13-candle holder often used. Instead of 13 people lighting 13 candles, each person inserted a numbered wooden component into the frame to create the Star of David final artwork. The pieces are then screwed into place from the back so the art can be displayed in the family home … ready to be taken down and used when the next generation has their b’nai mitzvahs!”

Pisik’s impressive corporate collections include Ritz Carlton, Home Depot, Carnival Corporation and his art is also in the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art and the Smith Gilbert Gardens permanent collections. Many of his pieces in private collections belong to Tony and Emmy Award winners, Grammy and Pulitzer nominees, and CEOs of several of the largest corporations in Atlanta and beyond. An active member and participant of the Jewish Woodworkers Group of Atlanta, an amazing group of woodworkers and artists, Pisik is honored to share his passion with dozens of other talented woodworkers.

Most of Doug’s sales come from private commissions where he works with clients to design and create unique and personal art. Several of his works will be on display during the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art “Georgia Wood Art” juried exhibition, Jan. 10 to March 22, where he had served as one of the jurors.

Doug added, “Dozens of talented artists will be showcasing the numerous ways wood is used. I’m truly impressed with the variety and quality of art that literally ‘crawled out of the woodwork’ for this exhibition. The museum is located at 30 Atlanta St. in Marietta.”

While Pisik spends hundreds of hours in his studio, building a good life for others is equally as important. Doug was an Olympic torch bearer for the Olympics in 1996, 2002, and 2004, an honor given to him for his volunteerism that ranged from his work with Habitat for Humanity, where he recruited thousands of volunteers who built dozens of houses, to leading a Partnership in Education program that provided an inner city school with in-classroom tutoring and afterschool programs.

With shows being scheduled over the next few years, Doug Pisik’s work can be seen at RobertKent Galleries (145 Church St., Marietta), High Country Art (715 E. Main St., Blue Ridge, Ga.) and Piece Art Gallery (122 E. Meadow Drive, Vail, Colo.) Visit www.dougpisik.com and @DougPisik on Instagram, or sign up at www.dougpisik.com/signup to learn more about his upcoming exhibitions.