Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Peter discovered his calling early — carving wood in school while his classmates sketched in pencil. His art teacher recognized the spark, handing him tools and time to whittle through the school year. That encouragement set the course for a lifelong relationship with wood.

After moving west to Vancouver, Peter apprenticed under his first woodworking mentor, mastering the ways of the woodshop. Over the years, he refined his craft in architectural millwork and furniture design, rising to Head Machinist and later Process Design Manager in a French door manufacturing firm. These years of precision and patience would later define the meticulous care he brings to each hand-crafted decorative box.

Deeply inspired by Japanese architecture and Arts and Crafts movement masters such as Frank Lloyd Wright, the Greene and Greene brothers, James Krenov, Gustav Stickley, and Sam Maloof, Peter’s work reflects a quiet harmony between simplicity, function, and beauty. The clean geometry of Shaker design also whispers through his joinery and finishes — a celebration of restraint and timeless form.

His craftsmanship has touched some remarkable chapters of Canadian art history. Peter helped build the wooden crates that transported molds for Bill Reid’s “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii” to the United States for bronze casting, and later created twenty-four elegant boxes to house Robert Davidson’s silver bracelets. These collaborations, along with commissions for Japanese Jiu-Jitsu masters and a Zen teacher’s ceremonial vestments, deepened his reverence for form, balance, and spirit within the craft.

Today, Peter works from his studio on Salt Spring Island, a lovingly converted horse barn that now hums with the scent of shellac, cedar, and music. Each of his wooden boxes begins with the search for a beautiful, story-filled piece of wood. The grain is carefully matched, the surfaces sanded, French-polished, and finished by hand — often lined with fine fabric and fitted with custom handles. Depending on complexity, a single box can take up to three days to complete — a meditative process where craftsmanship meets quiet devotion.

Peter’s artistry has also extended to bespoke furniture, Shoji lamps, and acoustic speaker design. His background in acoustics and passion for music led to the creation of unique home audio systems for local islanders, where the sound is as artful as the cabinetry that holds it.

His creative journey continues with new prototypes for lamps, tables, and sculptural wooden forms, all reflecting his enduring respect for nature’s materials and the Chinese philosophy that “easy is right.”

"Easy is right. Begin right and you are easy.
Continue easy and you are right.
The right way to go easy
Is to forget the right way
And forget that the going is easy."
— Chuang Tzu

From Thunder Bay to Salt Spring Island, Peter’s work embodies a lifetime of learning, refinement, and reverence for wood — each box a vessel of craftsmanship, patience, and spirit.

I work with wood because it is alive—each grain line a story, each knot a voice. My goal is to honour that story with quiet, functional forms shaped by patience, precision, and respect. Influenced by Japanese aesthetics and the Arts and Crafts tradition, I create boxes, lamps, and furniture that celebrate simplicity, balance, and the natural elegance of the material. When the work feels effortless—when it becomes “easy and right,” as Chuang Tzu said—I know the piece is becoming what it should be.