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Peter Deise
A Story "Seeded" in Mystery
In 2002, some curious letters showed up in the mailboxes of F.Q. Story homes. An anonymous donor had offered to give homeowners their choice of a selection of metal sculptures at no cost.
There were just two conditions: The sculpture had to be displayed so it was visible to the neighborhood. And it had to stay with the house for at least one year.
The sculptures were the work of metal artist Peter Deise, but who was the mystery donor? No one knew, save Deise, who wasn’t saying anything to anyone. But he was grateful for the chance to share about a dozen pieces of his work and to fuel efforts to bring a vibrant arts culture to the downtown area.
“It was back in the days when my art was fairly inexpensive,” Deise said. That’s not the case now; he’s known nationwide for his twisting, swirling sculptures; more recent works have been coated in vibrant primary colors. Learn more about this Phoenix artist at PeterDeise.com.
View the gallery to learn the story behind the mecca of Deise works in F.Q. Story.
1: This neighbor picked out a towering steel sculpture from Deise’s studio on Grand Avenue.
It has weathered well through nearly two decades of heat, monsoon and haboobs. Deise said he’s pleased to see how the uncoated steel has held up.
2: While says she doesn’t know much about how the sculpture offer came to be, she heard something about a grant.
Today, the sculpture remains a focal point of her front yard.
3: This sculpture originally graced the front yard of Dan Hunting’s home on Willetta. But after he and his wife moved, it disappeared. He had no idea where it went until a neighbor spotted it two blocks away. It had remained in the neighborhood!
The sculpture is named Chorisia. Deise said it’s his favorite of the series he made for the F.Q. Story neighborhood.
4: This homeowner honored the condition that the sculpture be in a position where it could be visible to the neighborhood.
5: Deise said the F.Q. Story sculptures were the “seed” of a progression of his art work.
Literally a seed, he said: following a plant from its seed stage to its opening, to its growth of spiraling tendrils.
6: Many homeowners placed their sculpture in the midst of other plant life, incorporating it into their landscape.
7: Here’s an example of a seed that has begun to sprout.
9: This Deise creation is emerging from its seed pod.
10: Deise loaded the sculptures in the back of his truck and delivered them to F.Q. Story residents who took advantage of the anonymous donor’s offer. He also built pedestals for the sculptures if the homeowner needed one.
11: The steel has weathered well. Deise said the nearly two decades in the desert environment has given him a good look at how the uncoated steel performs. “They held up very well,” he said of his creations.
12: Dennis Lewis was intrigued by the offer letter, shrouded as it was in a bit of mystery. But try as he might, he couldn’t get any information out of the sculptor.
“Nobody knew where they came from, or who donated them,” Lewis said of the sculptures. He picked a swirling metal piece, attracted by its flame
13: Many neighbors theorized that F.Q. Story resident and metal artist/Antoni Gaudi fan John Peirce had a hand in the sculpture giveaway. But they could never confirm it. “There were some people who had no idea what was going on,” Deise said.
14: There were clues. The letters were sent to people whom Peirce befriended, those who were kind to him, Deise said. At the time, Deise was early in his career, and the project helped to showcase his work in an area that Peirce hoped would evolve to become an art showcase.
15: Deise said the F.Q. Story pieces were the genesis of future sculptures, the first chapter in a line of sculptures. “All of these grew into a series of their own,” he said. “It’s kind of like the Rosetta Stone of the work.”
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16: In this sculpture, you can literally imagine something getting ready to emerge from a bulging seed pod.
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17: Marilyn Szabo calls her Deise sculpture “the flaming banana.” She later added another steel sculpture to her front yard, fabricated by another artist.
18: The structure appears to bend with the wind, its tendrils cast about by the air.
19: Deise revealed that John Peirce indeed was the donor whose largesse made the sculptures a unique attribute of the neighborhood. “He asked that I not speak of it until he died,” Diese said of artist, whom he met in 1999.
20: Deise said he occasionally cruises through the neighborhood to get a visual reminder of his earlier days “I like to go there and see where my head was at,” he said.
21: Some pieces make him smile; others make him scratch his head in wonderment. “There are some in there where I say, ‘What was I thinking?’
“ The reclining seed pod, now at 1341 W. Lynwood (see slide #3) is his favorite. He gets a quick glance at it whenever he drives along 15th Avenue.
22: Deise credits the “magic” of John Peirce, who has since passed, for the lasting effect of his sculptures in F.Q. Story.
“Don’t be afraid to share the magic of John Peirce.”
