David Peters was born and raised in Amarillo Texas where he began making pots about thirteen years ago. He earned his bachelors of art from Utah State University where he discovered a love for historical ceramics and wood firing. Upon graduating he became a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena Montana where he began using local materials for his work, which has now become the corner stone of his practice. He is now completing his graduate work at Montana State University where he continues to study and experiment with indigenous ceramic materials, while also exploring the potential of CAD, and innovative kiln design.

I use the indigenous clays, rocks, and trees of Montana to create my work, with each having their own distinctive qualities. By digging, processing, and milling my clays by hand, I gain an intimate knowledge of each material’s characteristics. This allows me to become more sensitive to each one\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s unique potential, as well as to realize the beauty hidden within its limitations. This intimacy with process and material shapes the way that I approach the forming of my work, and how I fire as well.

I strive for stony matte surfaces that evoke the passage of geologic time rather than the mere exposure to extreme heat. My forms are distilled and refined, offering a contrast to the violence and chaos of wood fired surface, creating harmonious tension. This tension evokes a feeling of authority, which is not lost, but accentuated by the battered surface.

I often appropriate vessels from early industrial mining and material processing such as mortar and pestles and scale pans. My favorite example of this is the crucible, which is used to smelt precious metals out of ores. It has become and iconic vessel for me, a symbol of the alchemical qualities of ceramics itself, it’s ability to meld science and spirit through the inspired forming and heating of earth.

Education

MFA (Candidate) Present Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
BFA 2007 Utah State University, Logan, UT
BFA (Candidate) 2003 Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Professional Experience and Additional Education

2012
Workshop Instructor, Can You Dig It? Discovering Local Clay. Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT

2009
Workshop Instructor, Connecting to Place: Exploring Local Ceramic Materials. Archie Bray foundation, Helena, MT

2008
Workshop Instructor, Archie Bray Workshop, Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, Spokane, WA

2007- 2009
Artist in Residence, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT

2004
Ceramics In China, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China, and West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Selected Exhibitions

2012
American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Terra Cognita, Solo exhibition, The Clay Studio of Missoula Gallery, Missoula, MT
Montana by The Sea, Stewart Kummer Gallery, Gualala, CA
Ceram-A-rama Gala, Arizona State University Art Museum Ceramic
Research Center, Tempe, AZ

2011
Early Career Woodfirers of the USA (a selection), The Art Shed, Deloraine, Tasmania, Australia
Atmos-fire, Artifakt Gallery, Deloraine, Tasmania, Australia
American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN

2010
30 x 5: 30 Potters, 5 Pots – Wood Fired Ceramics, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
FeastWare, Emerson Cultural Center, Bozeman, MT
Montana Clay, Solo exhibition, Rocky Mountain College Gallery, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT

2009
Art of Tea: VisArts, Rockville, MD
Here: 2009 Fellowship Exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2009 LEAP Award Finalist Exhibition, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburg, PA
Resident Artist Exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena MT
Archie Bray Foundation Artists in Residence Exhibition, Kolva-Sulivan Gallery, Spokane, WA
2009 Visiting Artists Exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT

2008
Resident Artist Exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Residents at the Bray, NCECA 2008, 3rd Street Gallery, Carnegie, PA