A Freeport sculptor and a photographer from Gorham are teaming up to begin Two Friends Media, a business in which they will combine their talents to publish and sell note cards in area shops.

Julia Doughty, who calls herself a “found-object sculptor,” combs beaches and forests for objects and wires them together into sea sculptures. Through a gallery in Portland, Doughty met Doug Wood, who does photography with ocean themes.

The two are using a Kickstarter public fundraising campaign in hopes of raising startup money, at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twofriendsmedia/two-friends-media. The campaign ends on Friday, April 15, so there are only two days left in which to contribue. The funds would allow Two Friends Media to do an intitial run of 5,000 cards with UPC codes.

Doughty grew up in Halifax, N.S., and has been living in Freeport for nearly 12 years with her husband, John and two children, Ellen and Pete, who are both in college.

“I have always been inspired by the ocean,” she said. “My background is in art, including graphic design, costume design and recently and most passionately, found-object sculpture. Doug has been a musician all his life and has worked in the music/film industry for over 30 years. The photography bug bit him about 12 years ago, and he’s been passionately pursuing it ever since.”

Doughty answered questions regarding Two Friends Media for the Tri-Town Weekly.

Q: You have started a Kickstarter campaign to start your business. What do you hope to raise, and what will that do for you?

A: Yes, this is our first experience with crowd funding. We chose Kickstarter because we wanted to give back to our pledgers by way of “rewards,” or gifts, such as note cards, boxed sets of note cards, fine art prints and even original sculptures. The gift depends on the amount of the pledge. We also plan to give a certain percentage of our company’s profits to Maine Coast Heritage Trust. The other unique thing about Kickstarter is that we only receive the funds pledged if we meet our goal. We hope to raise $5,900, which will enable us to purchase UPC barcodes for each product and complete a first print run of high-quality art note cards with envelopes and printed boxes for boxed sets of note cards for the 2016 tourist season.

Q: Give us some of your background as an artist. How far back does it go, and what piqued your interest?

A: My grandmother and my mother were both artists. It runs deep. My mother put me in Saturday morning art classes when I was old enough to hold a paint brush and I have been pursuing creative expression ever since. I have a (bachelor of fine arts) from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design and I have always been inspired by the ocean, which faithfully emerges in all of my work.

Q: How do you go about collecting materials for your sculptures?

A: With a passion for nature and an excited heart, I scavenge the coastlines and woods of Maine and Nova Scotia for found objects such as stones, wood, rusty iron, glass and any other remnants of past lives that call out to me. I rarely have enough bags, or pockets deep enough to contain my treasures.

Q: How do you put your sculptures together?

A: I begin by laying out all of the elements on my work table, a process that can take hours or days. I love to balance an assortment of elements within one piece. Sometimes I know exactly what a piece will be used for when I find it and other times it lives with me in my studio awaiting that “aha” moment I love. Then I choose a wire that is appropriate to the weight of the elements. I love to use copper, but steel and aluminum have their places, as well. I use a number of different wiring techniques appropriate for the elements being wired.

Q: Tell us how you and Doug Wood got together and planned this enterprise.

A: Doug, a wonderfully talented photographer, and I met in a Portland gallery, Casco Bay Artisans, that shows our work. Now they are in their new location in the Old Port. We were immediately drawn to each other’s work, we became great friends and we did a few trades. My sculptures can pose a photographic challenge, so we were talking one day and eventually decided it would be fun to combine our creativity and have him photograph them in new and unique ways. Two Friends Media was born and we immediately got to work designing our logo.

Q: How does his art fit with your art? Exactly what does he do with your sculptures?

A: We are both drawn to nature and the sea, in particular. He has a photograph of a rusty anchor on a bed of stone called “Long Forgotten,” and when I saw that I knew I had to have it. I love incorporating rusty iron in my sculptures, as well. Doug takes his time and believes that each of my sculptures has a unique personality that warrants a unique setting. He takes them out into nature and often to the sea. This piece called “Tidal Moon,” he placed right in the waves and partially under the sand. Another piece called “Steampunk,” he wired to the front of an old rusty railway car. He is methodical and brilliant.

Sculptor Julia Doughty and photographer Doug Wood are starting up Two Friends Media, which will produce note cards with ocean themes.