| Peter works in acrylic ink on stretched paper. Since the
mid 1990s, he has been exploring this medium, utilizing a blend of wet and
dry mark-making techniques.
Even though he is proud of all his finished products, his passion is
primarily in the process of creating these works. Peter does a lot
of field research. On these trips, he documents through sketching,
photography, writing and mapping subjects on G.P.S.. In the studio, he
grows and studies plant material. This, combined with reviewing his
fieldwork and found objects, is what is generally used to work on the
final drawings. Peter is always striving towards producing work that is
unique in the field of art that describes nature; he feels his drawings
record and express the subject's cellular existence and evolution
throughout time.
Peter gives a breath of life and a sense of movement to his art with
the use of ghost lines, intentional ink splashes and thin 'finger-print'
line-work. He wants the viewer to be excited about not only the content
of the work but also the physical act of making art.
Peter's intimate connection to the natural world and all things that
grow is what moves him to create. It is his strong desire to preserve
land solely for the study of plants and animals in both artistic and
scientific fields. The money he makes from his art sales goes towards
this cause. His plan is to begin an artists' retreat here for people
that share his joy and concern for the Canadian wilderness. Since 2002, he and his wife, Rebecca, have been working on
creating a Botanical Garden and Native Plant Nursery which will share
the site. They plan to educate through a blend of science and art.
With more people than ever using our parks and forests, Peter's wish
is that his artwork will compel others to take a closer look at the
beautiful subtleties and complexities in even the smallest aspects of
the natural world. He wants to teach that observing before stepping is
beneficial to all. |
