ABOUT THE ARTIST

South Carolina artist George Peterson is a self-taught woodturner and carver. Since 1990, when he spent the entire year working with the lathe, his artwork has been his sole occupation and passion. Among his influences are punk rock, and artists Mark Lindquist, Todd Hoyer and Andy Goldsworthy.
Peterson only works with indigenous woods like cherry, ash, locust, walnut and sycamore. He will not work with rare or endangered woods.

ABOUT THE WORK

“I like wood because it is common and easy to get. Wood is all around us and many people don’t know how beautiful and interesting it is…There is no joinery in my work so I am able to work from start to finish without interruption. I use green wood and the forms I make are often altered as the wood dries out. Cracks will form and the wood will warp. It gives the work a layer of spontaneity that I could never contrive on my own.
“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.”

AWARDS

2005 Crafter’s Choice Award, Smithsonian Craft Show
2004 Excellence Award, American Craft Council,

EXHIBITIONS

2004 Whole Grain, Special Exhibit, SOFA Chicago, MI
2003 “One Step Back, Two Steps Forward,” Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

PUBLICATIONS

Connections: International Turning Exchange, Wood Turning Center, 2005
500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books, 2004
“New York Times Magazine,”Home Design, Fall 2004
“American Craft Magazine,” February/March 2000
“Turning Points,” Summer 2000