doug pisik

Doug Pisik brings his engineering background to every piece he creates.

His meticulously crafted art boxes and free-form wood sculptures often incorporate numerous contrasting wood species, forming intricate geometric patterns.

Some works contain more than a thousand individual pieces seamlessly joined into a single composition – a level of precision the Atlanta wood sculptor considers central to his practice.

Artist: Born in Tarrytown, NY, Pisik moved with his family when he was five from New Jersey to Deerfield, a Chicago suburb.After high school, Pisik came to Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1985.

His first job out of college was designing flight simulators for General Electric in Daytona Beach, FL. In 1991, he returned to Atlanta to work in IT.

While he continued to work in the corporate world, holding numerous leadership positions as well as being an IT executive consultant, Pisik started to study and create wood art and sculpture as a hobby.

Company/studio: Doug Pisik Wood Artist. For the last 26 years, Pisik’s primary woodworking/art studio has been located in the basement of his home in Marietta, GA. He has separate rooms for creating art, storing his wood supply and photographing his works.

Pisik recently built a second studio in a 40-year-old, L-shaped shed in Boulder, CO, where he goes for a change of scenery and different inspirations.

In the beginning: Pisik’s interest in woodworking started when he was a young boy. His dad, who enjoyed fixing things, showed him how to use basic tools (drill, saw and a hammer).

After college, he moved into his first tiny apartment and needed some tools and storage. His first projects were a pot rack and a shoe rack. Later, Pisik started to experiment with more artistic – and more original – designs.

His earliest artistic pieces were art boxes, used more for show than for storing items. Pisik entered a few of the boxes in different Woodworker’s Guild of Georgia competitions, winning several blue ribbons and being formally classified as a “Master Woodworker” from the guild.

In 2007, Pisik submitted his art boxes for a juried exhibition at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art and was accepted. This was his first museum show.

In 2017, Pisk left the corporate world to become a full-time wood artist. He also serves as board chair of the Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre.

Art & materials: Free-form sculptures, 3D wall art and high-end art boxes with geometric patterns made primarily with wood ($200 to $10,000 for large, complex commissions).

What’s popular:

Geometric art boxes. These one-of-a-kind boxes have unique designs with the outside patterns repeated on the inside.
Abstract movable sculptures that allow the viewer to rotate or rearrange components to create unique compositions.

Favorite tool: A thin-line pencil known as a Sharpdraw.

“It’s used on about every project and ensures I have perfect measurements every time,” said Pisik.

Process: Pisik works in two modes: carefully engineered constructions and freeform creations.

His engineered works include wood art boxes and 3-D wall art constructed by cutting components to exact measurements that fit together perfectly to create unique and unusual patterns.

“The result is works that look special from any angle, inside and out,” said Pisik.

His free-form construction is more of a flow-of-consciousness creation. He creates by taking away the wood to reveal shapes and forms.This is done with angle grinders, rasps, numerous sanding tools, and carving chisels. “It takes time and is messy,” said Pisik. “But I know I’m done when the piece just looks right to me.”

Inspirations:

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Subtle curves and reveals in Japanese architecture and furniture.
De Stijl, a Dutch movement, which included such artists as Gerrit Reitveld and Piet Mondrian.
Geometry and trigonometry. “When charted, math creates amazing images,” said Pisik.

Special commissions:

Create a heart and lung sculpture for a pulmonologist.

“This was my first large free-carving sculpture, and it was created with over a thousand pieces of wood in over a dozen species,” said Pisik. “It’s one of my favorite sculptures.”

An eleven-foot-tall movable art tower installed in 2021 at the main entrance to the Smith-Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw, GA, for a temporary, two-year exhibition.

It was made with six large cubes stacked atop each other that could be rotated independently.

“People loved interacting with it to create different designs from the cubes’ patterns and colors,” said Pisik.

Recent project: “Harmonic Trio.” An eight-foot-tall trio of wavy carved oak pillars at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds resort at Lake Oconee, GA. December 2025.

Olympic honor: Pisik was an Olympic torch bearer for the Olympics in 1996, 2002, and 2004. He was recognized for his volunteerism with various programs, including Habitat for Humanity.

What’s new:

“In the Beginning,” a group exhibition at The Hudgens Center for Art & Learning, Duluth, GA. The exhibition features the work of 18 artists who were born in different countries and now live in the Atlanta area. Pisik represents the United States.
“The Summer Invitational” at the Swan Coach House Gallery in Atlanta. Through July 30. The annual fine art and craft exhibition brings together over 65 talented artists from Georgia and the Southeast.

What’s next: “Metro Montage” at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, GA. July 11 through Sept. 13. The juried exhibition will include Pisik’s most recent eight-foot art tower created from burnt oak.

“This will be my 20^th consecutive time showing in this exhibition,” said Pisik.

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