After spending 12 years teaching, Peter began full-time woodworking in 1981, and for over two decades, specialized in architectural reproduction woodworking, for which he won a Preservation Merit Award from the Historic Albany Foundation in 1984. In 2000, he began the restoration of an 1850's Gothic Revival cottage, which resulted in another Preservation Merit Award in 2004. In 2007, he sold his large shop and designed and built a 900-square-foot studio next to his home.
Though his work has ranged from architectural woodworking to fine studio furniture and cabinetry to whimsical sculptural pieces, Peter now concentrates on creating sculpture, functional sculpture, commissioned studio furniture and interactive works of art. He has designed and built many one-of-a-kind pieces, including a 2011 series of tables titled "Sabotage," based upon their unique sabots or wooden shoes. "Trefoil on Tiptoe" was chosen for The Fence Select Show, at The Arts Center of the Capital District, 2011. Several pieces of his work were selected for a group show in October 2011 by the Marion Royael Gallery. In February, 2012, Peter completed a group show at the Desotorow Gallery, Savannah, GA. In addition, his Goliath's Tailor (aka Maxiature X 12: Spool) was chosen as a winner in the sculpture category in the ArtSlant.com First 2012 Showcase competition, and his Divide and Conquer (aka Maxiature X 8: Compass) was chosen as a Second 2012 Showase competition. Screw Up was chosen as a 4th round winner. Deus ex Machina was chosen as a 5th Round Winner.
In 2013, Peter's Loving (Albany) Cup was selected as the Nancy Hyatt Liddle Best in Show at the Historic Albany Foundation's "Built" Show. Peter's work was shown in two one-man shows in Taipei, Taiwan at the Guang Xiang Gallery and the Danish Warehouse. A third, group show, was held in Taipei City Hall, and was sponsored by the Taipei Puppet Museum in early 2014. Two of Peter's altered pianos were featured in the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District's public art project, part of the international "Play Me, I'm Yours" exhibitions in June-July 2014. Two of Peter's current series of 12 wooden, poseable figures called Posers recently traveled 2200 miles through the US South, visiting and posing in five southern cities. A story about the Posers travels in the Albany Times Union can be found here. In May-June 2015, Peter's Peace Crane, made from his Homage to AC Gilbert giant Erector Set pieces, is on display at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition in their "Wide Open 6" Show in Red Hook, Brooklyn, while Cupid, Love Drone (another Poser) flew in the "Heroes and Villains" show at the Annmarie Garden and Arts Center in Dowell, MD from June-August 2015. Wooden Sentries was on display in Woodstock, IL, at the Old Courthouse Arts Center, at the 2015 Real People show, while Loving (Albany) Cup is in another group show at the Annmarie Garden, called Finding Our Place: The Geography of Art between October 2015 and January 2016.
Peter was interviewed by Frank151.com in May 2013, as a prelude to the Crest Hardware Art Show and the premier of his piece "Crest Annunciator 2013" at the show. A link to the interview that explains Peter's creative process is here.
