Peter Millett

Artist Statement

At some point, as I work with these shapes, they begin to speak to me. I only have to listen and they will tell me what to do.

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, with an architect father and a musician mother who produced Community Theater, I was surrounded by artistic activity. There were always sets being constructed or rehearsals going on. I loved the magic of transformation, the suspension of reality and the creation of a totally believable theater world. My artwork was encouraged and through a community art league I began drawing the figure at age 14.

Not long after settling in Seattle, the figure dropped out of my work. I began exploring a geometric language of shape and space. I made drawings and constructed collages. In 1975, I made a series of floating "water carpet" sculptures of diagonally cut or ripped lumber. The geometric pattern of the repeated shapes floating in the water-patterned ground was fascinating to me. I continued my exploration of geometric abstraction with folded sheet metal and screening. I have made pieces in steel and bronze, but wood is the material I am drawn to the most. I draw constant inspiration from the Native American artwork that is so plentiful in this area. I stand in awe of their mastery and wonder at their lucidity of expression.

My work, though spare, is not minimalist, but rather modern. I seek to distill emotional energy and experiences. I like my work to impact a space the way a melody can trigger a feeling or memory. Non-literal | non-verbal.

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