Peter Lattey: Masks from my Mind
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Deer Lake Gallery 6584 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby, British Columbia V5G 3T7
Peter Lattey, "Masks from my Mind," 2019
Masks from my Mind is an outdoor exhibition that will be held in the beautifully landscaped back yard at the Deer Lake Art Gallery featuring the works of Peter Lattey. Masks from my Mind is hosted and organized by the Burnaby Arts Council.
Peter Lattey grew up in a small town in the Okanagan valley of British Columbia, Canada, surrounded by mountains, pine trees, sagebrush and beautiful lakes. He developed a love for wood and natural forms at an early age. He studied Art and Architecture at the University of British Columbia from 1965 to 1975. He has traveled extensively in Europe, studying in Venice and Italy, where he was inspired by the major museums. In the early 70’s, he lived for two years in Papua New Guinea, where the local art and carvings had a great influence on him.
In the 90’s Lattey lived in the rain forest of Vancouver Island, surrounded by giant trees and of course with totem poles. He moved to Los Angeles in 1999. He draws inspiration from his surroundings in LA as well as from his life in New Guinea, Vancouver Island and Europe. The raw wood for his works comes from the exotic urban forest of Los Angeles. Trees that are being cut down, firewood yards and construction sites are all mines for his raw gold. Each piece shows something of its origins combined with a feeling that comes from within him.
Lattey’s work can best be described as Jazz music carved into wood. The forms and shapes flow sensuously. They are tactile and meant to be touched and caressed with the hands, as well as with the eyes. One surface flows into another, not always in an expected way, giving a delight to the eye and a feeling to the soul. What do the shapes mean? What does jazz mean? They speak to the emotions and the soul of the audience and evoke feelings that can sometimes be verbalized, sometimes not. They are sensuous and some have been described as “visual lovemaking”. You may feel that his pieces “remind you of something”. When this happens, they have connected with a part of you that resonates with a part of Peter, the artist. The mystery of that emotional or intellectual connection is what Peter strives to achieve.
Please join Peter Lattey on Saturday, July 6th for a workshop at 11 am at the Deer Lake Gallery.