Biography

The work of Western Doughty is a series of studies in vivid contrasts and unseen beauty which hearken back to his childhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where gender, race, and class struggles impacted him profoundly. Also raised in the world of art and photography, he first began shooting images for his father’s company as early as nine years old. “I draw from anything I see that leaves a profound impression. Gaylord Oscar Herron, Larry Clark, Robert Mapplethorpe, Francesca Woodman, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, James Baldwin and Akira Kurosawa are all significant to me in that I could relate to them. Each has, in different ways, enabled me to see that my own struggles with the world around me can be incorporated into my art.” Western’s project was well received internationally and continues to focus on projects pulled from his experiences and communal influences. He is also committed to youth programs involving photography and has done many discussions about his work and the technical aspects of photography. Western Doughty’s professional photography career has spanned twenty years of gallery, portraiture, advertising, and commissions.