Mostly Wood Paintings: Peter VanFleet
Peter VanFleet’s philosophical approach to living invades his studio where he consistently chooses alternative media to explore. Many years ago when returning from Bali, he presented us with “frescos” having revived an ancient painting technique.
For this current body of work, he takes discarded wood pieces and basically "turns a sow’s ear into a silk purse". Presented as paintings, these assemblages are intricately arranged and fitted wood pieces that are pre colored and textured creating a mosaic like finish. The tight fitting parts vary in size from tiny to large.
His vision, though grounded, is transcendent and his titles often reflect a quirky sense of humor such as "Brain scan of a searching Buddhist".
"As an abstract painter, I am inspired by the internal workings of my mind. I find it easier to handle this intensity by inviting humor and the participation of playfulness and light-hearted frivolity in my art creations. I believe that a strong philosophical current runs through all of my pieces. A delicious paradox is that these active paintings represent the juxtaposition of space within my mind," says VanFleet.