Making art lets me tell the unlikely stories that are in my head and express the tenuous connections that I see in the world and in disparate materials. Found objects fascinate me, both as representations of the people that used them when they were new and in the way their messages change as they age, break, and become imperfect through use and time. They inspire me to curiosity about their origins, the lives they had before they were discarded, and who lost or threw them away. My pieces focus on these everyday objects and show others the stories I see in them.
Craft techniques that I learned as a child feature prominently in my work. But by using these techniques in contrary ways to produce pieces that are neither functional nor traditionally decorative, I hope to explore the intersection of craft and fine art, of the “womanly” qualities I was supposed to gain in learning them, and the power I have gained to manipulate materials to create precise forms.
Celena Peet
Oakland, CA