Born in a green International pickup truck on Route 66 in front of the Canyon Gun Shop, Peregrine O’Gormley began life on the road. From the beginning, his name has held true to its meaning. Peregrine: One who journeys; traveler; seeker. Additionally, his namesake, the Peregrine falcon, has tied him inexorably to the beauty and intensity of the natural world and its beloved living forms.
O’Gormely spent his first 18 years growing up on 40 acres in the secluded valley of Juan Thomas, at 7,200 feet elevation in the mountains of central New Mexico. There his eyes were continually trained on the details of the fossils, plants and animals surrounding him. The only physical boundaries in this landscape were the cattle fences, which quickly became no boundary at all. His childhood was filled with long wanderings and wild adventures alone or with family friends in the surrounding woods and meadows of the greater valley. Home was a feeling of freedom and safety, the awareness of the constant presence of the gentle expanse of the land acting nearly as an additional parent, a teacher, and mentor.
From his early visits to Canada and Alaska, O’Gormley gained a deep appreciation for Northwest art and was enthralled with the breathtaking landscape, its wildlife, and origin myths. O’Gormley received a degree in biology from Colorado College. In 2006, after their share of world travel, O’Gormley and his wife moved to La Conner, in northwestern Washington. O’Gormley works from his home studio, sculpting nearly all of his original work from wood. With many of the wood originals, he takes latex molds to produce bronze editions. O’Gormley collects much of the wood he works with in the immediate surroundings, all of it either fallen or driftwood. Juniper, Western Red Cedar, Maple and Yew are his local favorites.
O’Gormley’s work has been shown in numerous exhibitions, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, the Coors Western Art Show in Denver, Colorado, and the Bainbridge Museum of Art on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
