Peter Hoffman

I consider myself to be a sculptor and painter in equal parts. Most often, working within an abstract realm is what inspires me to create, as it leaves open the responses any given piece might elicit. With some exceptions, rarely do I approach a sculpture with a preconceived notion of what it might look like, preferring instead to work intuitively. When this process is flowing, and with enough time, I feel a piece begins to inform me as to what is needed to bring it into wholeness.

My sculptures from the 1980’s, when I was living in NYC, reflected the strong geometry of the urban environment, but upon moving to Columbia County, more organic and less structured elements began to influence me. As an artist I have always had a fascination in noticing how elements combine to make larger wholes, from atoms to molecules, or from bricks to buildings to cities, or from notes to melodies to symphonies.

Working from large collections of wooden remnants and found objects collected over time, as well as manufactured elements, I begin to construct sculptures. I try combining pieces that interact with one another, gradually creating something larger than the sum of the parts. I feel the construction of a sculpture is complete when all of the individual components seem to have found the place they want to be within the whole. Color is used to accentuate or minimize forms, overlay new shapes, or create visual movement.

A successful work of art for me is one that makes a direct visual connection, both engaging and quieting the mind simultaneously.

Resume

Born February 11,1957 Norwalk, Connecticut

EXHIBITIONS

2018 Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, Manchester VT “Affinities”
2014 Equinox Village Gallery, Manchester VT
2010 Columbia County Council on the Arts, Juried Show, Hudson NY
2009 Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester VT
2004 ADD Gallery, Hudson NY
2004 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY
2003 Blue Hill Gallery @ Columbia/Greene Community College
2003 Columbia County Arts Walk, Hudson NY
2002 Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester VT
2002 Blue Hill Gallery @ Columbia/Greene Community College
2002 Hudson Opera House, Juried Show, First Prize For Sculpture
2002 The Berkshire Hall Gallery, Sheffield MA, Solo Exhibit
2001 North Point Cultural Arts Center, Kinderhook NY
2001 Red Mills Gallery, Merchant & Ivory Foundation, Claverack NY
Solo Retrospective
2001 Columbia County Arts Walk, Hudson NY
2001 Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester VT
2001 Columbia County Council on the Arts, Juried Show, Hudson NY
2000 Columbia County Arts Walk, Hudson NY
1998 Columbia County Arts Walk, Hudson NY
1997 Columbia County Arts Walk, Hudson NY
1997 Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson NY
1995 Gallery of Contemporary Art, Hudson, NY
1994 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY
1994 Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester VT
1993 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY
1992 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY
1992 Warren Street Gallery, Hudson, NY “Inspired Chairs” (furniture)

1989 The Crusader Gallery, Philmont NY
1983 The Art Club, Williamsburg, NY
1982 The Art Club, Williamsburg, NY
1979 Woods-Gerry Gallery, Providence RI
1978 Woods-Gerry Gallery, Providence RI

PUBLICATIONS
Hudson Valley Magazine, March 2004 “Perfect Harmony” The Register Star, 2001 “Two Poets and a Sculptor”
The Albany Times Union, 2001
The Register Star, 2001 “A Tale Of Two Artists” Home Style Magazine, July 2001
Architectural Digest, April 1993 “Hudson Valley Tours

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sculptor, 1979 to present Furnituremaker/Woodworker, 1979 to 2019
Assistant to sculptor Herbert Ferber, NYC, 1983-1985
Artist In Residence, Cultural Affairs Council, NYC, 1982-1987

EDUCATION
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence Rhode Island, BFA, 1979