{@name}
{@size} • {@medium}
All images ©LaFontsee Galleries. May not be reproduced without written permission.
George Peterson • Profile
George Peterson, at the young age of 10, perhaps unwittingly began his artistic journey with woodwork by carving his name into a wooden table, and by the time he reached his mid-twenties, he was working with wood and crafting his art fulltime.
Peterson's process is a delicate and aggressive interplay with Nature. After working freshly cut wood by gouging, carving, and sanding, he involves Nature yet again, exposing the wood to the elements, causing it to crack and writhe. Peterson considers these transformations before integrating another round of carving. This repeating process evolves until a delicate balance of opposites is reached. All at once smooth and coarse, graceful and clunky, the artwork is completed by applying a finish to accentuate the final form.
"As I work the wood, I collaborate with it. The wood has a voice and I have a voice; we interact."
Commanding not only visual poise, Peterson's sculpture creates the desire to touch. Primitive, and yet Contemporary, the sculptures create a presence that is simultaneously comforting and questioning. Surfaces are interrupted by shiny precipices, like mountains, generating interesting questions of representation. Dark columnous totems, inspired by African woodcarving, powerfully jut in and out of space. Other works evoke skeletal imagery, strengthening the human dimension to Peterson's art, which, through eliciting emotions, he claims is key.
George Peterson • Statement
I take an intuitive and spontaneous approach to my work. The action of shaping the wood with my hand-held tools is satisfying in a very basic way. As I work the wood, I collaborate with it. The wood has a voice and I have a voice; we interact. The finished piece illustrates that interplay.
Care & Maintenance
Maintaining Your Bowl's Finish
We use a hand rubbed finish of oil and beeswax. To continue this loving care at home, follow these instructions.
Cleaning: Clean off any dirt, goobers, or water spots with '0000' (pronounced "four ought" at your local hardware store) steel wool. That's extra fine.
Oiling: The BEST THING you can do for your bowl is KEEP IT OILED. If the wood looks dry, it probably is. Take some mineral oil (food safe, purchased at your local pharmacy) and coat both sides of the bowl generously. Wipe up any puddles. Keeping the bowl oiled is the best way to prevent cracking. If it's hard for you to tell when a bowl needs oiling, as a general rule oil it every month for a regularly used bowl and every year for a decorative one.
Waxing: Waxing is not needed on regularly used bowls, as it will simply wash off. However, it adds a beautiful shine and a protective coating to decorative pieces. You can apply a wax finish in two ways. You can buy some beeswax based wood finish and follow the instructions on the label. Or, you can do it yourself. For this you need a small lump of beeswax and a light-colored cotton rag. Take the wax and rub it directly on the wood. Just rub it all around. Dip the cotton rag in mineral oil and rub the wood lovingly. The friction will melt the wax and smooth it out. (If the wax is particularly stiff, place the bowl in direct sunlight for half and hour or more.) Polish with a dry section of your soft rag.
George Peterson • Biography
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2007
LaFontsee Galleries, "2007-a," Grand Rapids, Michigan
2006
Signature Shop and Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Atlanta, Georgia
SOFA Chicago, Special Exhibit, Chicago, Illinois
del Mano Gallery, "Turned and Sculpted Wood," Los Angeles, California
Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington D. C.
Craft Alliance and Wood Turning Center, "Wood Now, " Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2005
LaFontsee Galleries, "ONE," Grand Rapids, Michigan
Signature Shop and Gallery, "Five by Five, " Atlanta, Georgia
2004
Gallery WDO, "Wood Fired," Charlotte, North Carolina
SOFA Chicago, "Whole Grain," Special Exhibit, Chicago, Illinois
Gallery North, "Four New Visions," Setauket, New York
Focus Gallery, "George Peterson and Molly Doctrow," Asheville, North Carolina
2003
Andora Gallery, "Wood Currents," Carefree, Arizona
Patina Gallery, "One Step Back, Two Steps Forward," Santa Fe, New Mexico
Craft Alliance, "Nature of Craft," St. Louis, Missouri
2002
Andora Gallery, "George Peterson and Mathew Fine," Carefree, Arizona
del Mano Gallery, SOFA Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, "New Talent in Craft II," Racine, Illinois
del Mano Gallery, "Turned and Sculpted Wood," Los Angeles, California
Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington DC
Ellipse Art Gallery, "Branching Out," Arlington, Virginia
2001
Snyderman Gallery, "Masters of Turned Wood," Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
del Mano Gallery, "Turned Wood 2001," Los Angeles, California
del Mano Gallery, SOFA New York, New York, New York
Blue Spiral 1, "Sculptural Invitational," Asheville, North Carolina
Signature Shop, "A Way With Wood," Atlanta, Georgia
R. Duane Reed Gallery, "Diversity and Exploration: New Forms in Wood," St. Louis, Missouri
Upstairs Gallery, "Turning Wood, Painting Landscapes," Tryon, North Carolina
"Turned Multiples II," Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Craft Alliance, St. Louis, Missouri; Saskatchewan Crafts Council, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Blue Spiral 1, "New Artists, New Works, New Year," Asheville, North Carolina
2000
del Mano Gallery, SOFA Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Southern Highland Craft Guild, "New Members Exhibition," Asheville, North Carolina
Berman Museum of Art, "AllTURNatives," Collegeville, Maryland
AWARDS / HONORS
2005
Gold Exhibitor's Choice Award, Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington, DC
2004
Excellence Award, American Craft Council, Baltimore, Maryland
Regional Artist Grant, North Carolina Arts Council, Raleigh, North Carolina
2002
Crafters' Choice Award, Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington DC
2001
ArtPark Oak Hill Project, Outdoor Sculpture Installation, Lewiston, New York
Regional Artist Grant, North Carolina Arts Council, Raleigh, North Carolina
