Houston artist also a plumber, musician

June 2, 2006

By DAWN DE BUSK

Frontiersman

HOUSTON - Three years ago, Richie Dougherty engaged his daughter, who was 7 at the time, in an art project involving 1-by-4 boards left over from construction projects, textured mud and acrylics.

&#8220I had an idea brewing and I wanted to take it to a different level. I didn't know it would be so cool,” he said. &#8220Once I finished those, it was like fire taking off.”

Dougherty then focused on making more colorful, abstract, textures on the long, narrow boards, designed to hang on the wall at different levels like a painting with spaces in between.

Using the right hues of paint, he splashed strips of the Northern Lights onto the wall of his tri-level home. He donated a custom-made piece to the Iditarod Fairies for a breast cancer fund-raiser auction. He wrapped up some as wedding gifts. And he designed a 10-piece hanging for Paradise Tan.

&#8220I was having so much fun making them. I gave so many away free. But I wasn't worried. I was trying to get the concept out there,” he said.

Art is just one of Dougherty's interests. On Wednesday, the 35-year-old Houston resident with long, chestnut-colored hair, known as ‘Richie D.' to most people, waited for the arrival of a friend who was cutting a CD at Loon Lake Studios in Dougherty's basement.

As a toddler, Dougherty picked up his first pair of drumsticks and discovered rhythm. At about the same age, he slipped on his first pair of Carhartts and posed for a photo in front of his dad's work van in their yard in Long Island, N.Y., where they lived before moving to Sutton. That snapshot is taped to a bulletin board in his recording studio.

His drum-playing and blue-collar skills have evolved into parallel and intertwined paths.

&#8220I'm versed in roofing, carpentry, and I'm a third-generation plumber. I'll be certified this summer, and that's probably when my other projects will take off,” he laughed. &#8220I would love to put the Carhartts down, but there's too much construction this summer. I will make as many sculptures and write as much music as I can.”

Dougherty acquired most of his recording equipment in trade for a plumbing job. Then, a friend of his family asked what he needed to get off the ground. Dougherty told him he needed &#8220the tools of the trade.”

Near his computer keyboard, he displays his grandpa's pair of shirt cuffs, a tiny bottle of colored sand from his daughter, and a promising fortune from a fortune cookie.

Learning to manipulate the recording equipment was a mountainous learning curve, he said.

&#8220It was like trying to fly the Millennium Falcon,” he said.

Musicians approach Dougherty and ask him to play percussion for their pieces. He said he sometimes listens to tracks 15 or 20 times before deciding how the drum would complement the music best.

&#8220What I want to do is a great compilation album to profile and highlight all the talented musicians out there.”

Almost daily, he burns sage to clear the negative energy in the studio, adding sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. He's had some fruitful song-writing sessions with one of the musicians trying to cut a CD. He took a break from performing recently and attended several drum-building workshops.

&#8220My daughter, Aurora, has a great influence on me artistically and musically. She is my rock of Gibraltar,” he said of his 10-year-old daughter. &#8220The mid-wife was so cool. I helped deliver her. From the moment, Aurora was there, it was magic. I've raised her since she was 2. Now, she has her own identity in music and in art.”

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@ frontiersman.com