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179:. Just the sheer number of counterfeits bear out the importance of his work. Oscar's fish were the first known pieces to exhibit the traits that have become known as the "Cadillac style". His brightly colored, somewhat abstractly shaped fish were truly the design of an ingenious self-taught artist.
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Oscar
Peterson was extremely prolific, creating more than 15,000 works of art. (including fish decoys, duck decoys, plaques, and other decorative items). He even obtained a US Patent for a certain style of fishing plug (several of which were sold in a Cadillac MI Auction, 10/3/2010). Estimates are
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Although sold commercially previously, Peterson's work begins to become simpler and less ornate as his popularity rose. He began to taper back on his carvings of other "collectable pieces" and focused on carving spearing decoys. The painting on the decoys begin to lose some of the bright colors
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Although it is not exactly known when he started to carve, it is believed that he started around 1900. He carved decoys and decorative items to supplement his income as a landscaper and general handyman. These decoys he sold from his home as well as in many bait shops around the area. His fish
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Oscar
Peterson pieces show up in many places, one even appeared on the TV Show- Antiques Roadshow from Grand Rapids. Prices for Oscar Peterson's work are often very good, especially on his decorative carvings, with one plaque recently selling for as high as $ 100,000. His fish have been sold at
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One of the reasons for the huge popularity of Oscar's decoys is that they were extremely good at attracting fish. Even today, decoy carvers make "honest copies" of Oscar
Peterson's fish since they claim that there are times that "nothing else will attract a fish".
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These were his most primitive carvings. His limited production and age of the decoys makes these the most rare of his periods. This is where he began to establish the "Cadillac Style" using streamlined but abstract shapes - very beautifully painted.
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His works are the subject of the book - Michigan's Master Carver: Oscar W. Peterson, 1887-1951 by Ronald J. Fritz and can be found in the
American Art Museum of the Smithsonian, the Brooklyn Museum and have also been seen in the following exhibits:.
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sold not only to the local sportsman, but also many tourists on their way toward
Northern Michigan. Oscar approached carving as a business and that is probably the reason for the huge numbers of art that he created.
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This was his most creative period with the usage of more detailed carvings and brighter, bolder colors in his paintings. He also begins to add blending and feathering to accentuate his painting on the decoys.
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Peterson concentrated almost entirely on making spearing decoys. The paintings and carvings become much more simple and less detailed as he attempted to make them easier to produce.
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Slightly less rare, the carvings become more defined and the painting shows more attention to detail. These carvings become more easily recognized as his signature style.
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Collectors often break Oscar
Peterson's fish decoy carvings into 5 periods. These periods correspond to changes in the style of carving and painting during his lifetime.
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If a key figure exists in the current resurgence of interest in fish decoys, it is most definitely Oscar "Pelee" Peterson, whose name is synonymous with the field.
149:. He moved to the Cadillac area when he was 8 and spent much of his youth hunting and fishing. He later opened a landscaping business with his brother George.
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He continued to make decoys and serve as a fishing and wilderness guide for the rest of his life. Oscar
Peterson died on October 7, 1951.
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Antiques
Roadshow Archive Online - Appraised on Aug 9, 2008 - Episode Grand Rapids Hour 2 #1314 - Original Aired date April 27, 2009
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121:“Gone Fishin ... an Exhibition of the Art & Artifacts of Angling” - Leelanau Historical Museum 6/11/1989-1/29/1990.
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114:“Fishing for Art, an Exhibition of the Implements and Art of Angling” American Museum of Fly Fishing at the
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Books that reference some of Oscar
Peterson's work and may contain minor details about his life:
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Oscar "Pelee" Peterson is among the best known and most widely imitated fish carvers.
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A very special
Auction - article by Terry McBurney - Woods-N-Waters Dec 2010
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Oscar Peterson was born November 14, 1887, to Swedish immigrant parents in
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Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum website
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Sotheby's and have obtained prices over $ 18,000 for a single piece.
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that around 1,500 to 2,000 of his art form are still in existence.
84:(November 14, 1887 – October 7, 1951) was an American carver of
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There is no denying Oscar Peterson's impact on the art form of
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Apfelbaum, Gottlieb, and Michaan, Beneath the Ice, page 24
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The Fish Decoy (1986) by Art, Brad and Scott Kimball
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124:“Beneath the Ice: The Art of the Fish Decoy,“
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327:Michigan's Master Carver Oscar W Peterson
107:“Hooked On Carving: Oscar W. Peterson” -
69:Learn how and when to remove this message
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32:This article includes a list of general
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450:Wayside Chapel (Oscar Peterson's page)
401:American Fish Decoys by Steven Michaan
445:fishdecoy.com (Oscar Peterson's page)
431:fishdecoy.com - Oscar Peterson's page
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296:Art, Brad & Scott Kimball (1993)
279:Art, Brad & Scott Kimball (1987)
262:Art, Brad & Scott Kimball (1986)
520:American people of Swedish descent
500:20th-century American male artists
38:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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109:Michigan State University Museum
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495:20th-century American sculptors
347:Apfelbaum, Gottieb, and Michaan
116:Addison Gallery of American Art
16:American woodcarver (1887-1951)
510:People from Cadillac, Michigan
505:People from Grayling, Michigan
419:Maine Antique Digest, Feb 2010
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126:Museum of American Folk Art
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226:seen in previous periods.
293:The Fish Decoy Volume III
82:Oscar W. "Pelee" Peterson
276:The Fish Decoy Volume II
111:, 10/24/1982 - 4/10/1983
515:Sculptors from Michigan
490:American male sculptors
118:, 3/17/1984 - 4/15/1984
53:more precise citations.
212:PERIOD III (1925–1934)
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465:American folk artists
221:PERIOD IV (1935–1944)
204:PERIOD II (1920–1924)
480:American woodcarvers
310:American Fish Decoys
230:PERIOD V (1945–1951)
195:PERIOD I (1900–1919)
128:2/15/1990- 4/17/1990
485:Fishing equipment
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355:978-0-525-48529-2
338:978-0-9604906-4-6
321:978-0-9748721-0-0
304:978-1-877771-00-2
287:978-0-9604906-5-3
270:978-0-9604906-3-9
187:Stylistic changes
147:Grayling Michigan
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363:References
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160:Influence
141:Biography
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