Just Having Pie: A Retrospective by John Henry Peters

The title of this exhibit 'Just Having Pie…' came from a discussion I had with my wife, Deb. I told her about a meeting I had with Hugh Kappel about 48 years ago. Carl Grupp knew that I had a strong interest in the boxes of Joseph Cornell. He told me that I should go see Hugh Kappel, a former teacher of his, because he was a good friend of Cornell’s. So I called him, and he agreed to meet me at a little café across from the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

When I met this old man wearing a trench coat and carrying a big bag, I had no idea who he was, other than Carl’s teacher, and what his life was like. We sat down and ordered apple pie and coffee. Hugh started telling me about his friend Joseph who he met in New York City in the 1950’s. He told story after story about Cornell’s life in New York and showed me collages and postcards that were collages that Cornell had sent to him. We ordered more pie, and he showed me a stack of his abstract expressionist works. We ordered more pie, and I showed him a suitcase full of my sculptures and box constructions. More pie.

After seven hours of delightful conversation, eating pie and drinking coffee, my spirit was profoundly boosted … mostly by the conversation, but the pie helped.

I am a mixed-media sculptor. I love to explore the use of all kinds of materials and processes of construction. Sometimes my work is representative but most often it has surreal intentions. A predominant characteristic of my work is about scale. How we understand the world is often associated with our perception of space, all kinds of space. I think we all are fascinated by the knowledge that our existence is in a world of incredibly microscopic elements, the space that we perceive in our interior environments, the vast spaces of the horizon, to the unlimited space of the universe. What an amazing, interesting, challenging and magical place we live in! My use of extreme changes in scale invites the viewer to enjoy the complexities of space.

I find inspiration in the history of our planet, development of species, human existence and the impact of scientists, philosophers, inventors, writers and builders. However, I am mostly inspired by musicians and artists and all their forms of expression.

Architecture should be more organic. I have been exploring a variety of forms that could be considered architectural models including customized tables and pedestals. Some forms are mystical, spiritual; others are austere.

With a surreal approach, I've tried to capture a sense of wonder.
Who would live or work in these structures?
What kind of culture are they connected to?
Are they ancient? Futuristic?

When I started making the ceramic architectural structures, I also began making little human figures. They were quite solitary in nature, monk-like, peasant-like. I intended them to be singular representatives of the people who inhabited the structures. This reminded me of my past interest in carving small figures. My wife, Deb, told me I should carve wizards again because I had always enjoyed that process in the past. So, I did. They have returned. They seem to have that sense of solitary wisdom that I wish existed more in our lives.

My explorations have led to a variety of expressions in different media. You can see some common threads in all my works. I hope you get caught into the very small details.