Gallery Director Michelle Goans interviews September 2021 featured artist Peggee Davis
Peggee Davis received a B.S. in Education and Fine Arts and a B.F.A. from York University, with a concentration in Italian Renaissance Art Restoration. There, she studied
original historical techniques to restore period art. Peggee completed her graduate work at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Following graduate school, Peggee taught ceramics, apprenticed with a renowned Canadian potter, and later developed art programs for York University and the municipal government. When Peggee moved to California from Toronto, she put her love of visual expression to use while raising two daughters and pursuing a professional career in health and youth development as the Executive Director of a statewide educational organization. Upon retirement, Peggee returned to her roots, first buying a kiln and then converting her garage into an art studio. Throwing pots transitioned into mixed-media sculpture.
On the descent from Yosemite’s Half Dome — not the highest peak in California, but pretty gnarly — I said to myself “Next: pottery.” It started with a slab of clay and my hands. Shapes of women emerged. I was fascinated to explore their faces, expressions, bodies and the garbs that embellished them. Who were they? I watched them become. I enrolled in sculpture classes to learn more and to refresh my decades-old knowledge of clay. I loved the grit of stoneware and the smooth finish of porcelain. Texture. It was all about the texture. And, what organically emerged from my hands. I am particularly interested in women across cultures and how our traditions manifest in our imagery. I love representing women in authentic, distorted or exaggerated bodies, which hold the many complex identities and responsibilities women navigate.
The exhibition will be on display in the Main Gallery at Arts Visalia from September 1st-September 24, 2021.
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