Fred Peters’ versatility as an artist is undeniable.
Probably best known as Kangaroo Island’s most prolific silversmith, Fred has created stunning silver jewellery pieces reminiscent of the island’s environment for decades. Some of his most recent jewellery pieces are included in work chosen for inclusion in the very first Kangaroo Island Council-sponsored art exhibition at the island’s newly upgraded airport terminal building. But this particular exhibition may be most notable for focussing attention on the diversity of Fred Peters’ work.
Kangaroo Island Airport Art Exhibition
Life in the rockpool series –
Fred Peters is as comfortable on land as he is in the ocean and has spent thousands of hours fishing, snorkelling and crabbing in St Vincents Gulf and around his island home. In more than sixty years of fossicking, and observing the intertidal zone and the creatures that inhabit it, his hope is that in re-creating these tiny worlds and magnifying their beauty and significance he can inspire people. Inspire them to prevent the demise of the Island’s precious and largely intact marine environments.
Brittle Sea Star – Of all the sea stars (starfish) the Brittle Sea Star is the most fragile, as its name suggests. Often found beneath rocks at low tide and matching the sand bed, it breaks easily if touched.
Sea Sponge – Animals not plants, sea sponges rely on constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food, oxygen and to remove wastes, making intertidal reef plates an ideal place for them to live.
Sea Anemone – Named after its daisy-like terrestrial namesake, the sea anemone is far more diverse and beautiful. A cleverly adapted predator, surviving in the most extreme conditions.
Black Hole series –
Black Hole Necklace and Earrings – This matching set was created on the theme of “Watch This Space” for the 2018 Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition. Fred’s research led him to a renewed fascination for Black Holes about which he says:
They are so complex, so dense, that not even light can escape them, thus mirroring our own complexity… the uncomplicated illusion that our outward persona presents to the world.
Linocut print series –
This work is a new direction for Fred Peters and combines linocut printing with repoussé copper, formed and enhanced with multiple striking patinas. He first introduced audiences to this work in 2017 for SALA at the National Wine Centre. Tragedy and Triumph (pictured cropped at top of this page) was a crowd pleaser with its evocative and heart-tugging story of the dolphin stranding in 1999 at Nepean Bay near Fred’s home on Kangaroo Island.
Fred’s art practice originated in the 1980s with his application of highly developed drafting design skills to the creation of beautiful Tiffany glass windows. This was when he first began using copper foil. As his reputation grew for fine sculptural and ornamental pieces, he began simultaneously wax carving and bronze casting wildlife inspired sculpture. His earliest jewellery designs were island-themed pins and brooches using materials evolved from all of these techniques.
See Fred’s iconic Leafy Sea Dragon here. You can purchase this, and many more of Fred’s sterling silver jewellery pieces in our online store.
If you are on Kangaroo Island, call in at our Dauncey Street gallery to view the complete range of sterling silver jewellery by Fred Peters. And don’t be surprised if you find Fred at work at his studio bench when you visit!