Nationality: English

Born in 1965, William Peers apprenticed himself to a stone-carver shortly after leaving Falmouth Art College. With him, he was urged to work slowly, entirely by hand rather than with machine tools. At first his work was largely figurative and he pursued a path similar to earlier direct carvers, chief amongst them Eric Gill, but gradually his work became more and more abstract.

Unusually for an abstract sculptor, Peers's work is wall hung. Hanging flat against the wall, one is made to view his work from one angle rather than from all sides and, naturally, this lends a greater emphasis to the surface of the stone and to the delicate chisel-work rather than the overall shape.

Now living and working in Cornwall, many of the sculptures are given the names of places near his home such as Oldiscleve, Gauter Point, Bradavin and, looking at the softly rolling contours of the carvings, it is tempting to see his work describing the countryside like some aerial relief map. As such he shares the same deep feeling for the Cornish landscape that Peter Lanyon, himself a keen glider pilot, conveyed in his paintings. The rolling hills and streams of the Cornish landscape lie at the root of all his recent work and the small chips left by the chisel are like tiny footprints mapping out this terrain.

A short film about William is available to view: http://filmstudiolondon.com/movies/peers/


Solo Exhibitions:

2010		100 Days: Sketched in Marble, Forthcoming at John Martin Gallery
2009		100 Days: Sketched in Marble - Preview at Art London with John Martin Gallery
2007		New Work in Marble - John Martin Gallery, London
2005		Stone Carvings, John Martin Gallery, London
2003		Stone Carvings, John Martin Chelsea
2002		Wall carvings, John Martin of London
2002		William Peers - Stone Carvings, International Art & Design Fair, New York
1996		Exhibition of carvings, John Martin of London
1995		Prints & interior form sculptures, Hyde Park Gallery, London
1993		Exhibition of carvings in Gigondas, France

Group Exhibitions:

2009		The '09 Joze Show, Accolds Farm, West Sussex
		SCULPTURE At Woburn Abbey
2008		On Form Sculpture, Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire
		The Secret Garden, Solomon Gallery, Dublin
		London Art Fair, John Martin Gallery, London
2007		Art London, John Martin Gallery, London
2006		New Year Exhibition, John Martin Gallery, London
		Art London, John Martin Gallery, London
		Neale Howells & William Peers, Moncrieff-Bray Gallery, Sussex
		Into the Jungle - A Homage to Rousseau - John Martin Gallery, London
2003		Chelsea Flower Show
2002		The Armoury Show, John Martin Gallery, New York
2001		Three Eastern Heads, Art2001, Business Design Centre, John Martin Gallery, London
2000		Summer Exhibition, John Martin Gallery, London
		Contemporary Sculptors, Gainsborough House, Suffolk
1998		New Artists 1998, John Martin Gallery, London
1996		Exhibition of carvings, John Martin Gallery, London
1994		Joint family exhibition, Hereford
1993		Exhibition of carvings, Gigondas, France
1992		Exhibited works for Oxford 'Art Week'
1991		Exhibited stone carvings, Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London