Artwork copyright Stan Peterson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Letter, 1987

Stan Peterson
American (born 1945)

Location: Maple Grove School, Battle Ground

About the Artwork

‘The Letter’ is a charming wooden sculpture hand-carved and painted by artist Stan Peterson. It shows many aspects of the everyday. The composition features a mailman, a person reading by their window, and a robin that seems to almost fly out of the frame. The artist notes that together these ordinary images create “a feeling of waiting and expectation.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Battle Ground Public Schools.

About the Artist

Artist Stan Peterson is an artist and wood carver who creates "freestanding short stories" in his sculptural compositions. He grew up in the rural outskirts of Portland, Oregon. For over thirty years, Peterson lived in the San Francisco area and facilitated art-making with adults who are disabled at Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. In his own words: “Sometimes I think I’m just a woodpecker at heart.”