Strangler Fig Sculpture

Peter Zelle is a Minneapolis sculptor who has been working with glass for over 30 years. He received his BFA in Sculpture/Glass from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1987. After completing his degree he apprenticed for the sculptor Howard Ben Tre in Providence, RI. Peter then moved back to Minnesota and established Zelle Glass Studio in 1992, a sculpture and production glass blowing studio. Over the course of 15 years Zelle Glass Studio sold functional and decorative glass art in over 100 galleries across the United States. While supporting himself this way, Peter slowly developed his sculptural process and esthetic language without having to compromise his true artistic intentions to make a living. As he matured so did his art. In 2007 Peter felt it was time to dedicate himself solely to his fine art and closed the glass blowing part of his studio. Since then, Peter’s focus has been on developing and refining his cast glass sculptures. Peter uses glass as a medium to capture and transmit colored light in a sculptural form. He feels colored light has a direct path, both emotionally and spiritually into our minds and bodies. His process begins by carving low clay reliefs. This gives Peter the freedom to conjure and explore form, line, texture and compositions. During this time Peter has been in numerous Fine Art exhibitions, and completed private commissions and select public art projects. He cites some of his influences as Arshile Gorky, Paul Klee, Louise Nevelson, George Morrison, and Peter Krasnow, a relative whose 20th century paintings and sculptures were present in Zelle’s boyhood home. Zelle’s work has been exhibited nationally at SOFA Chicago, Spectrum Miami, Art San Diego, Art Santa Fe, and Art Silicon Valley. His work is held throughout the United States in many private and corporate collections, including those of the Minnesota Museum of American Art, The Bremer Foundation, St. Paul, MN; Childrens Hospital, Boston, MA; University of Minnesota Heath Center, Minneapolis, MN