Examining John Peters’ work feels like stumbling upon a culture lost to space and time. Found materials like wood, bone, and glass are carved into towering, twisting skyscrapers that seem to have grown organically from their base, and wizards small enough to sit astutely on the head of a nail. If you get close enough, you’ll see that even the tiniest pieces are treated with the same care and possess the same detail as the most grand elements.
Ideas Need Colonies: John Peters
By Fresh Produce
These worlds, though imagined, reflect the care of a real community—a colony of people—working toward a shared purpose: to build something useful, meaningful, and interesting, shaped to their way of living and worthy of preservation.
At Fresh Produce, we believe Ideas Need Colonies as well. Our Colony is made up of people working together to share and delight in the creativity that is unique to our place. John Peters is an important part of our Colony. His sculptures have been a highlight of many Ipso shows and were even the focus of our Mystic October show, Secret Door, in 2021.
Currently, John’s retrospective, Just Having Pie, is on display at the Washington Pavilion through June 8. We encourage everyone to stop in, wander about, and get lost in it.
For now, check out this video we filmed with John ahead of Secret Door, when he welcomed us into his home studio to explore his process and reflect on the stories behind his work.
