As a proud sponsor of ISAP, Citra Solv once again offered the prestigious organization the opportunity to name one of their artists the September Citra Solv Artist of the Month. As always, the competition was very tough, but the committees chose esteemed artist Peter Gooch.
Whether he’s in New Zealand, Canada, Ethiopia, or Michigan, light and location form the central themes in Peter’s work. In addition to traveling, teaching and research, Peter is passionate about promoting women’s health.
Congratulations to Peter for his accomplishments, including being the Citra Solv Artist of the Month.
I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduated from Ann Arbor University High School, and attended the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and Western Michigan University. After receiving an MFA in painting from WMU, I joined the faculty of the University of Dayton as the primary painting and color professor. I retired from teaching at the University of Dayton in 2012.
At EMU my undergraduate training was primarily in watercolor under the direction of Kingsley Calkins. During graduate school at WMU my watercolor sensibility was translated into larger scale acrylic on canvas paintings. My work is strongly influenced by location, geographical, psychological, and philosophical. Foreign travel and the observation of light quality have long been central to my research, and provide the main impulse for my creative work.
For the past five years, I have also served as a director on the board of directors of the International Partnership for Reproductive Health (IPRH) a non-profit organization founded by my wife, Dr. Sharon Ransom, which is focused on screening for and detection of early stage cervical cancer, as well as general reproductive healthcare for the women of Ethiopia.
Artist Statement 2014
THE SOUTHERN OCEAN SERIES: 2012-2014
This new series of paintings is informed by recollections of the light found on the southern tip of New Zealand’s south island. The year (2011) my wife and I spent living just outside the town of Invercargill was remarkable for many reasons, but especially for the very particular nature of the light on that spit of land surrounded by the Southern Ocean.
The low angle of the sun, the constant movement of wind and waves, sunlight reflected off slick rock and refracted by sea spray served to create a profoundly affecting visual experience. Oreti Beach, Porpoise Bay, Curio Bay, and Blue Cliffs Bay all provided inspiration for the paintings in this series. As always, my work reflects the influence of location – both geographical and psychological - translated through the constraints of geometric abstraction. Color systems used in this series are an impressionistic response to the atmospheric colors found in the southern landscape.
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