The scupture of Ludwig (Doc) Dochterman

“All of the sculpture that I have created have one thing in common: they are all fabricated from previously manufactured elements. I take these disparate, recycled objects and by welding and brazing, resurrect them into new forms. However, their original shapes and unique textures are left behind to add depth and complexity to the new creation.”

Blade Torso

Blade Metropolis

Fender Coupling

Rooster

Lovin' Spoonfuls

Drums & Pipes

Sci-Fi-Ter

Rotate Bloss

Doc’s education in the arts began early. His father was a mechanical illustrator and painter, and took Doc on painting trips to the countryside. Doc’s formal art education began at Chicago’s Art Institute, and he earned a BS in Visual Design from the Institute of Design at ILT. It was here that Doc created his first metal sculpture. Selling his work at local art fairs helped pay his college tuition.

Doc studied graphic design under Misch Cohn, and photographers Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. He became an executive at J. Walter Thompson, art directing the Kodak and Ford Accounts, winning multiple awards, and eventually formed his own advertising agency in New York city. At the turn of the century, Doc rekindled his long lost love of sculpture by studying at the Silvermine Guild Art Center in New Canaan, CT, under David Boyajian.

Doc’s sources for his art come from auto and lawn mower repair shops, recycling centers, and old-fashioned junk yards. The metal objects he selects dictate whether the sculpture becomes abstract or more representational. His inspiration comes when an object reminds him of something completely different, such as the leg of an insect or the torso of an animal. He often fabricates additional original pieces to complete the new sculpture.

Doc built a sculpture studio on his 5-acre property in Bedford, NY, where he and his wife raised three children.