Peter Wood (1942-2020)
Peter Wood (1942-2020) was a Taos-based artist known for his etchings depicting Hopi kachinas. Originally from New York, he made his home and studio in Taos, New Mexico for many decades. His work is available at Parsons Gallery of the West.
From the Artist
"I've been living in the Southwest for most of my life. Before that, first in New York, then California. My Taos, New Mexico studio was the original Model T garage of a historical hacienda that once belonged to Kit Carson who lived across the street. These buildings are very near the Plaza of the Town of Taos.
When I took over the rent on that studio, my days of being on the LA art scene were long over. Those were the days of experimenting with painting and lifestyle. As a painter, I was particularly interested in working figuratively—classically, but with an eye to a modern use of shapes. It was about how the figures took their place on the canvas. This led to a brief period of Abstract painting, which is a joy in itself in a very painterly way. Gone too were my days as a Renaissance Pleasure Faire craftsman in Northern and Southern California. I was a leather smith specializing in the sculptural design of beautiful and useful shoulder bags and luggage. I was known as Squire Bagnose, itinerant meddler in crafts.
It was in the mid Sixties that I first heard of the Hopi and my studies began. I made kachina dolls out of leather and was fascinated with traditional Hopi symbols and Hopi life-as-religion. I became fixed on authenticity and began visiting on Hopi." — Peter Wood (1942-2020)
