For me, the adventure and challenge of sculpting lies in focusing on the natural tension and drama I find in the wood, and in contrasting and complimenting that drama with my expressive mark as an artist. I channel a lot of destructive energy into my art. The pieces are formed from whole logs using chainsaws, hammers, chisels, fire axes,...anything. I aim to create layers of machined and natural surfaces. The raw sculptures are then placed in a kiln so the wood can stabilize. Often, during the drying process, the tension in the wood will cause a piece to warp and crack giving the forms an element of spontaneity that I could never contrive. After the wood is dry, I then refine each piece through careful and deliberate study. I paint, polish, trim, sew, join and repeat if necessary, until the work is resolved.
statement
process
“I channel a lot of destructive energy into my art. I love to scar, break and burn the wood. I’ll carve with a chainsaw, ax, chisels, fire…. anything." If it sounds a bit destructive it’s because it is. "It stems right from punk rock and wanting to express myself in a basic and direct way — breaking things can be so satisfying, and if you channel that into a piece of art, you can get a constructive, creative result." But that's just the first part. After that, layers of color and polish are added and parts are rejoined with stitching and steel. The forms, colors and textures are carefully and deliberately considered until the work comes together.
Influenced by artists like Andy Goldsworthy and David Nash, he gives wood sculpting his own twist. His most recent series, “Lingo” involves two things close to his heart: skateboarding and environmental conservation. “This is my first series to use all recycled wood. I’ve been skating for 30 + years, so it’s really cool to be able to incorporate this motif into my work and celebrate the skateboard as the modern icon it is.” He is always on the prowl for used decks — to the point where he’ll even buy them and pay for shipping (which might explain the starving artist thing). “I love getting packages of old boards. Some of them have the funniest shit written on them, most of them are beat to hell.”
George grew up in Bishop, CA in the early 80's. He currently lives and works in the mountains of western NC. He's a self-taught, working class artist and family man.
— Rima Suqi
contact
for purchasing and inquiries:
Circle Factory
George Peterson
2278 Diamond Creek Road
Lake Toxaway, NC 28747
tele. 828.577.5677
email: