by Paula Chaffee Scardamalia
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Peter Petrochko: Working with the Nature of Wood
by Paula Chaffee Scardamalia |
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(Below) Peter Petrochko works at his band saw. |
IF "TALL OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW," THEN WHAT DOES A 6-INCH CUBE OF REDWOOD GROW INTO? FOR PETER PETROCHKO, IT GREW INTO A CAREER. AS A FRESHMAN ARCHITECTURE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI IN THE LATE 1960S, PETROCHKO WAS REQUIRED TO CARVE THAT CUBE OF REDWOOD FOR A CLASS ASSIGNMENT. THE ASSIGNMENT WOULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF HIS FUTURE.
"I became fascinated with carving that piece of wood," says the Connecticut-based wood sculptor. "I spent about 30 hours carving, then another 35 hours sanding the shape I had carved, and by the end of that very long process, I had fallen in love with wood!"
But after three years of studying and working with architects as part of the university program, Petrochko knew that architecture was not for him. He left the program and enrolled in the Silvermine College of Art to study sculpture and photography. He graduated in 1970, aware that neither sculpture nor photography would immediately provide a livable income. So, he started a landscaping business, driven by his love for nature. The business supported him and his wife and daughter for the next 10 years. Meanwhile, he continued to take pictures and work in wood.
"When 1976-1977 rolled around, I saw that the craft movement was supporting a lot of people. It convinced me that I too could make a living. So I began to enter local craft shows to test the market for my woodwork," he explains.
MAKING THE TRANSITION INTO CRAFT
By 1981, Petrochko had left the landscaping business behind and was ready to become a full-time professional craftsperson. To him, this meant moving into the national market and the top-quality national craft shows.
But first he did his homework. "It is important to go to those shows," says Petrochko. "I paid attention to the level of craftsmanship and design involved in the different work. I took notes on the booth designs and layouts. And I looked at the range of price points represented in wood. Also, I talked to the craftspeople -- this community is one of the big pluses of this lifestyle. Craftspeople are usually willing to help and share information."
Homework completed, Petrochko entered the 1983 American Craft Council (ACC) Rhinebeck Fair, the last ACC summer market at that location. The homework paid off -- his work completely sold out.
The following year he followed ACC to West Springfield and exhibited at other national shows as well. "I wanted to take my work and my business as far as I could. I set my sights high and applied to the better shows."
Those shows included the prestigious Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and the Smithsonian Craft Show. He was accepted and exhibited cutting boards, clocks, end and coffee tables, as well as nesting boxes in a wide range of price points.
"Starting out, I tried to be unique in whatever I did -- whether it was in the outline or form of the item, the combination of the color of woods, or the overall design," he says. "It was important to me not to copy but to use my own designs and to develop a personal identity."
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CREATING A NICHE FOR HIS WORK
That personal identity began to evolve more clearly through his nesting boxes. He was using a band saw to cut the boxes from one piece of wood.
From that idea, he tilted the cutting table and began to cut concentric rings to create bowls. The discovery excited him because the technique made economical use of the wood, something very important to him from both a financial and an environmental point of view. Also, it meant he could make bowls of any shape, organic or geometric, and was not limited to the round shape associated with a wood-turned bowl. As he played with the designs, the forms became more and more sculptural.
"Nature is not only my source of material, but also a significant source of my inspiration." |
When he began to exhibit in the national shows in the early '80s, the demand for these unusual bowls increased. He knew that in order to develop a name for himself he needed to focus his work. He dropped other items from his line to work solely on the new style of bowls. He played with the patterning of the woods, the color combinations, and the shapes of the bowls.
While developing his unique bowls, his love of wood and three-dimensional design also led him back to the elemental process of carving, but not to the 6-inch cubes of wood. Now, instead, Petrochko works with logs, beginning his sculptural dialogue by studying the log's natural line. Then, with different chain saws, he does the rough carving, while moving to chisels for the more detailed work, then finally to grinding and sanding. "It's a lot of labor!" Petrochko admits, but he doesn't seem to mind -- he says he would love to do even bigger pieces.
His business instincts tell him, though, that as the size of the work increases, the market decreases. Still he continues to produce more purely sculptural work, drawing inspiration for their design from ancient cultures and nature. He completes about 12 large pieces a year, selling them at shows and to collectors, while keeping a few for himself.
Petrochko's only ongoing problem is the size of his Oxford, Conn., studio. Even though his work does not require some of the bigger pieces of machinery, his studio is small and not as organized as he would like. His dream is for a bigger, less chaotic working environment.
ResourcesAmerican Craft Council Shows American Craft Exposition Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show Smithsonian Craft Show |
Meanwhile, he continues to exhibit his wood vessels and sculptures at many retail shows and an occasional wholesale show around the country, selling smaller retail items in the $150-$200 price range, along with larger pieces with equally large price tags of $4,000 to $6,000. He has garnered a long list of awards over the years, including an award for creativity at the Smithsonian Craft Show, and the Wharton Esherick Award for Excellence in Woodworking at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.
For More InformationContact Peter Petrochko at: |
To make it into highly competitive shows like the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the Smithsonian Craft Show and the American Craft Exposition in Evanston, Ill. Petrochko advises, "Visit the shows like I did, talk to the wonderful community of craftspeople there, and then pay the necessary price for top quality slides. Good slides are key to getting into good shows."
In addition to the craft shows, Petrochko sells his work at a handful of galleries such as Del Mano Gallery in Los Angeles, Calif., and Sansar Gallery in Washington, D.C. Being a one-person studio, he has all the work he can handle supplying these galleries and making inventory for retail craft shows.
In his "spare" time, Petrochko gives his energy and labor to a cause he believes in -- the local land trust. Last year, with Petrochko's help, the organization managed to save 527 acres of land from development, much of it wooded.
"Conservation of land and wood is very important to me, as are the rain forest issues," he professes. "I am a wood nut -- using everything from pine to ebony, but I am careful about the source of the wood I use and try to use it as economically as I can. I see everything as connected. Nature is not only my source of material but also a significant source of my inspiration. It's important that I help to take care of it."
Paula Chaffee Scardamalia is a Berne, N.Y.-based freelance writer who teaches and owns her own weaving business, Nettles and Green Threads.
AUGUST 1999:
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