{"id":89722,"date":"2025-02-01T09:47:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T16:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=89722"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:59:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T21:59:07","slug":"how-lucy-puls-shaped-amber-pecks-artistic-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/how-lucy-puls-shaped-amber-pecks-artistic-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"How Lucy Puls Shaped Amber Peck\u2019s Artistic Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amber Peck. Image courtesy of the artist.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was almost 30 when I started my bachelor\u2019s degree at Weber State,\u201d recalls Amber Peck. Having stepped away from college years earlier to raise her growing family, Peck found herself deeply immersed in the complexities of motherhood. \u201cI was depressed, and I needed something for me. So, I began my pursuit of a photography BFA.\u201d<\/h4>\n

At Weber State University, Peck encountered a nurturing environment where her creativity could flourish. “I had some incredible teachers at WSU who fostered an environment that was both safe and challenging. I was able to be authentic and vulnerable in my photography. I made work about depression, domesticity, and the complex feelings of motherhood.”<\/h4>\n

As Peck\u2019s creative practice evolved, she began to incorporate modified found objects into her photographic work. It was during this period of experimentation that she encountered the resin-encased sculptures of Lucy Puls<\/a>, a Bay Area artist who began using used and discarded consumer items in her sculptural practice in the 1990s.<\/h4>\n

“Seeing Tonka trucks, toasters, and toys trapped inside blocks of orange and red, I found it compelling the way these familiar objects were confined, away from human touch,” Peck says. “I also felt a real kinship to Puls\u2019 mixed media approach, when her fabric-printed photographs draped from a wall cabinet and wove between chairs. I too wanted to marry tactile elements with my images, and I did.”<\/h4>\n

In her BFA exhibition, titled Follow<\/em>, Peck presented a series that juxtaposed poignant photographic images with evocative sculptures, such as a photograph of a mother\u2019s hands braiding hair displayed alongside a concrete-covered plush toy and a broken chair leg. The works resonated with themes of care, labor, and the weight of emotional bonds. “I was so proud of the series,” she says.<\/h4>\n
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Courtesy of the artist.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Courtesy of the artist.<\/p><\/div>\n

After graduating she moved with her husband and four children to Brooklyn to pursue a master\u2019s at Pratt Institute. “It was a life-changing experience for our family, and for my artistic practice,” she says. She now works out of her home studio in Davis County.<\/h4>\n

“Since the pandemic, I\u2019ve worked on things like a cross-stitched garbage can and a large arm\/hand made of pillows. And I\u2019ve been photographing weeds.\u201d These projects underscore her commitment to exploring unconventional materials and themes, pushing the boundaries of her art even further.<\/h4>\n

While she has yet to experience Lucy Puls\u2019 work in person, Peck\u2019s admiration remains steadfast. \u201cHer work continues to inspire me, giving me permission to cross and combine genres,\u201d she says. This permission\u2014to blend, to innovate, to explore\u2014has allowed Peck to create art that feels deeply authentic. \u201cNothing has made me feel more myself than creating art. I feel my most ‘Amber-y.'”<\/h4>\n
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Peck’s “Damaged Receptacle,” 2023, metal garbage can, yarn spelling “Extra Credit,” on view at the St. George Art Museum, November, 2024. Image by Shawn Rossiter.<\/p><\/div>\n

You can view more of Amber Peck’s work at amberpeck.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI was almost 30 when I started my bachelor\u2019s degree at Weber State,\u201d recalls Amber Peck. Having stepped away from college years earlier to raise her growing family, Peck found herself deeply immersed in the complexities of motherhood. \u201cI was depressed, and I needed something for me. So, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1600,"featured_media":89727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,2238],"tags":[4133],"class_list":["post-89722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual_arts","category-who-do-you-love","tag-amber-peck"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_5581_2-scaled-e1737391997418.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-01 14:16:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1600"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89722"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91354,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89722\/revisions\/91354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}