More about Peter Veblen Van Fleet

Education

University of California at Berkeley, Associates Degree in Philosophy, 1970

University of Montana, Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, 1971

Bio

Peter Veblen Van Fleet grew up in the Pacific North West where his art was nurtured by both his father and mother, both architects. When not designing houses, his father dabbled in watercolors and flower arrangements; his joy and enthusiasm for making art had a great influence on Peter.

With degrees in philosophy and creative writing, Peter sought to discover inside himself a place of solace. It was only after he started painting twenty years ago that he found both solace and insight from his expressed perceptions of life. He found it to be a way of seeing the inner eye of things, existence and religion and looks to express that moment when he paints.

Peter uses wood and acrylic skins to create assemblages that have textural differences and relief. The acrylic skins are formed by mixing paint on a moving piece of tempered glass until dried. Beginning without any preconceived ideas, Peter manipulates form and color on a blank slate, struggling with the many disharmonious parts of the composition in attempt to attain one momentous satisfactory harmony. Sometimes he fails, but finds that failure can be wonderful. In his opinion, all great paintings show the struggle between harmony and disharmony.

In Our Words

The beauty of architectural drawings are brought to life - with an abstract twist - in Peter Veblen Van Fleet’s distinctive paintings. What, upon first glance, appears to be a tug-of-war between self contained repositories of texture, color and shape, instead merges to form a cohesive and balanced mosaic of disparate elements.

Selected Exhibition History

• Wood Compositions Studio 5, Ashland, Oregon 2009
• Mr. Rover Goes To Market Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, Oregon 2006
• Sibling Rivilary Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, Oregon 2005
• Patricia Willliams Gallery, 2004
• Bali Paintings Blue Heron Gallery, Ashland, Oregon 2004
• invitational Morris Graves Museum, Eureka, California 2003
• Frescos of Peter Van Fleet Plaza Design, Arcata, California 2003

Selected Sales History

• Entryway – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 14'' h x 30'' w – $900 – November, 2007
• Composition #9 – Acrylic On Canvas – 30'' h x 40'' w – $1,600 – December, 2007
• Intersection – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 18'' h x 18'' w – $700 – March, 2008
• The Astrolab – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 20'' h x 24'' w – $1,200 – April, 2008
• Pattern of Prophecy – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 32'' h x 20'' w – $1,200 – June, 2008
• Calm Abiding – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 18'' h x 24'' w – $800 – October, 2008
• In Search of a Phone Booth – Mixed Media on Panel – 32'' h x 24'' w – $1,400 – December, 2008
• Minotaur – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 14'' h x 32'' w – $1,100 – April, 2009
• Mr. Rover Goes to Market – Acrylic on Wood Panel – 18'' h x 24'' w – $900 – June, 2009
• Snowfall In Squaresville – Mixed Media on Panel – 24'' h x 32'' w – $1,600 – June, 2009