Doug Ricketts

Doug grew up in New Mexico surrounded by a rich arts and crafts tradition. He attended the University of New Mexico, but received his BFA from Phillips University at Enid, Oklahoma. While working on a degree in sculpture and ceramics, he worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. He moved to the Texas Panhandle with his wife, Cathy, in 1977. They live on land near Lipscomb,
Texas that has been passed down from Cathy’s grandfather.

Continuing the tradition of making do with available resources that his family began when settling on the Llano Estacado of Texas and New Mexico, Doug crafts quality furniture from salvaged wood and vintage hardware. His desire to preserve some of the fine old structures and their stories, and his delight in the colors and textures of the weathered wood, barn tin, and harness hardware
prompted him to begin incorporating the castoff materials into his furniture. From barn roofs to early grain elevators, archetypal building shapes and details serve as inspirations for designs. He tries to bring humor and a great deal of reverence into the design of the furniture, and at the same time let the surprising and varied parts go on “working” and being enjoyed in a second, recycled life.

By using the salvaged parts of the old windmills, houses, and barns in a new context, Doug hopes to foster a new way of seeing and appreciating these overlooked icons. And, by using his years of practical knowledge in design and the art of furniture making, he seeks to create furniture that is a pleasure to use from day to day and will allow part of the plains legacy to be passed on to new
generations. Describing the buildings from which the wood was taken and the people who lived or worked in them gives the collector a personal link with the piece that, in effect, becomes a reliquary.

www.dougricketts.com