After earning my fine arts degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle, and studying with Elaine deKooning, I have been lucky enough to be able to travel the world in search of universal symbols which reveal Truths from which to formulate a global unity of forms.
My teachers were followers of Wassily Kandinsky. “The more frightening the world becomes, the more art becomes abstract.” Kandinsky’s quote gives permission and a compelling reason to take hold of our Truths. He emphasized creativity and originality over skill and reproduction, celebrated personal truth and disparaged what he called “second hand art” made specifically for the marketplace.
Peter Wiley wrote in Gallery & Studio magazine in New York City “Peggy Zehring employs variations on simple shapes, variously combined and layered, to create a host of visually stunning and thought-provoking compositions with the power and presence of unique contemporary mandalas.
I seek wabi sari materials which have been softened and aged by the earth. For this piece, I’ve incorporated burned pieces from the Colorado “Spring Fire” of 2018 which took 101 of my paintings, our house, 6 other buildings we had built and objects we had collected for more than 55 years.
By paying attention to my unconscious and to my dreams, I have been able to heal and unify myself in ways that would be difficult otherwise. There are many avenues into one’s unconscious self and one of my new favorites is psilocybin - which is natural and grows underground - thus the title of my “Underground” painting.