November 2014: Stan Peterson

Stan Peterson carves wood.  He has titled his show: “What the Whittler saw”.  To quote Stan “I walk a lot. I started off as a postal carrier out of East Portland Station many years ago.” Urban neighborhoods, sleeping dogs, casual encounters over fences intrigued him.  “I get ideas taking walks, doing sketches at night, and the memories which won’t go away become carved wood sculptures. Those semi-conscious morning dreams are like mixed media sketch pads. I like to draw from them.”

He uses animal forms as a vehicle to explore human interaction. Animal persona can shift back and forth between animal and human according to Stan. It gives him a range of characters to draw from.  After spending some time in the Bay Area, Stan is back in Portland full time.  This has opened up a virtual waterfall of the creative process for this casual walker.