After eight years operating Wyatt’s Gallery by appointment only, Peter and Victoria are opening their home to the general public for ten days – from Friday, October 4 through Monday, October 14, noon to 5 pm.
When asked, friend Ellen Benodin described this type of presentation as ars in camera which is Latin for “art in chambers or rooms.” While she may have been teasing, with her double entendre, the term has several interpretations including the fact that Peter uses a camera in the modern sense of the word to create unforgettable photographs, none of which depict his posterior. Here’s a chance to meet the artist and view a collection of memorable images of Door County and the world on display in a beautiful country home.
Each unique image is printed on canvas and signed by Peter in the gallery studio giving them one-of-a-kind provenance. And, the photos are displayed throughout rooms of the Wyatt’s home as friend Ellen says, in camera.
Walk through the multi-level galleries, looking up at the large canvasses near the clerestory window. They reveal the light and colors of the stained glass in the Canterbury Cathedral, the castle walls and the private chapel beneath the Houses of Parliament. Door County birds and flowers fill the hall between the rooms. Near the west windows, natural sunlight sparkles off the waters of Lake Michigan in the foreground of the Cana Island Lighthouse on canvas.
Peter Wyatt was born and raised in England, and is now a US citizen, a year ’round resident of Door County. He photographed extensively while serving in the Royal Navy and working as an ex-patriot in his civilian career. A nautical theme is evident in his photographs of historic sailing battleships and Thames River house boats. You can feel the maritime influence in his Door County shots as you gaze at tall ships, lighthouses, marinas at sunset and steel bridges. Custom-framed canvases of a fast-moving windsurfer on the Cornish coastline, the original Redington Long Pier and the 1980’s skyline of Chicago taken from the Lake through an ozone haze give you a chance to see moments lost in the passage of time.
But, all is not color and canvas. Peter’s passion for photography began with black and white film during his service with the Royal Navy. Now, he also turns that passion toward his favorite subjects using black and white imagery to reveal the form and line that attracts his eye. His landscapes and flowers shimmer with heat and the sun’s light.
The US Navy band marching toward the Marinette dock, where the first littoral combat ship, USS Freedom was launched, gives you a sense of the eagerness and respect felt by all attendees at the christening. The most emotive images may be those of the draft horses captured at rest and while exerting intense effort in the Valmy Thresheree horse-pulling contest.
Wyatt says, “It takes creativity, energy, expense, preparation and timing to capture a moment in history, an image of life that can never again be repeated. That is the value of an original photograph.”
Wyatt’s Gallery is located at 4145 Cherry Road (3/4 of a mile north of Gordon Road on Cty. HH), Sturgeon Bay. For more information visit WyattsGallery.com online, call 920.559.3686 or email: wyatt.cerinich@itol.com.