Peter Sheehan

I was raised in a literary artistic family of writers, photographers and painters: a childhood rich with stimulation. Although I always made art I was a gifted athlete in both football and ski racing. December, 1963 changed all that with a near fatal car accident. Partially recovered in summer of 1964 my parents took me to Paris to visit my brother. The trip rekindled my love of art and gave me a new way to pursue my life.

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I received a B.A. from St. Michaels College with a minor in Art History. I attended the School of Visual Art in 1966 then moved to New Paltz in 1968 to obtain an MFA from SUNY. I exhibited in the five state area and won the prestigious Olivetti Award from Silvermine Art Guild in Connecticut. In 1971 I obtained an MFA in sculpture with a minor in Art History. I became a graduate teaching assistant at New Paltz and taught art and photography in a small college and high schools. In 1974 I began teaching painting and woodcraft at Wallkill Correctional Facility.

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During this time I became involved in farming which became a form of sculpture to me. I took up painting and drawing to try to capture the colors of the green fields, plowed earth and mystery of the woods. I’m still engaged in that struggle today.