With a selective library of forms - tri-legged, squat or tall vessels; solid, chunky, chains, 'blobs' reminiscent of fungi, stones - Peter brings decades of technical mastery and intuition to bear, making each new work entirely unique.
Sometimes painstakingly building up a complex internal structure through which a molten metal outer skin will flow, sometimes working directly with prepared moulds, he results of these lost wax castings reveal the characteristics of metal in an entirely fresh way.
Gold, bronze, silver, copper, brass, zinc and more are poured together or consecutively, occasionally pushing beyond the physical limits of a particular metal. The unpredictability is key; happy accidents in the forms of cracks and holes may be left as is or treated with a subsequent cast. The way these alloys interact - the topographies, rivers, deltas and deserts that appear like miniature continents being born in a moment - have made Bauhuis one of the most innovative and respected metalsmiths in the world.
Dr Warren Feeney says of this process, "it is ‘contemporary’ in attitude and in the best traditions of the European avant- garde in the early 20th century, being about ‘risk taking’ and chance. Bauhuis considers an accident or unexpected outcome in the making process, such as breaks, holes or cracks in the object s a given and an essential aspect of the casting process. A ‘mistake’ is a fortunate accident to be accepted and fissures on surfaces act as evidence of the artist’s hand in the process of making and a mark of his consideration of materials."