Greenspond is a typical Newfoundland outport community and as is common in these areas many older homesteads fall outside of the newer areas and are left to the elements and slowly but surely become part of the land once more.
CHRISTOPHER PEETBorn in 1957,Christopher Peet was raised and received his early education in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, Canada.After finishing high school in 1974, Peet became the first Newfoundlander to represent his province at the prestigious Lester B. Pearson International College of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. He left Pearson College two years later with an International Baccalaureate.For the next four years, Peet pursued his interest in textiles at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Ontario, graduating in 1980 with an honours diploma in general design (textiles).Returning to Grand Falls in 1980, Peet began to explore other areas of interest. Using his background in design, he turned, almost by accident, to painting. The natural focus for his artwork was architecture, a subject that had fascinated him from an early age. He experimented with acrylics and oil. He then turned to watercolour, where he found the subtleties of colour and shade which best suited his subject. Since then, Peet, who now lives in Ottawa, Ontario, has been painting full-time and his works are exhibited in galleries across Canada and in the United States. He has become an architectural preservationist, concentrating on the detail of buildings and how this detail reflects the area in which the structure is found. His painting classes and workshops are in great demand.He has been involved in and continues to pursue a number of projects in the arts. He is the artist for the Bonavista Historical Society and has produced two in a series of lithographs for the Society. One of these lithographs was presented to Queen Elizabeth II in June 1997 while on a visit to Newfoundland as part of the provinces 500th Anniversary celebrations. His work was also selected to be part of the Canadiana Funds State Art Collection which has as its mandate the establishment of a permanent collection of art works for the seven Official Residences in Canada. His piece was selected to hang at the Official Residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons, former residence of Sir William Lyon MacKenzie King, near Ottawa, Ontario.Much of Peets time is now spent focusing on the architecture of New England, specifically Cape Cod. He finds the style of construction there most interesting and is pursuing that interest through watercolours.Peet has been regularly featured in solo and group exhibitions and has also lent his talents to many charitable organizations over the years.His work can be found in public, private, and corporate collections internationally, some of which are noted below.COLLECTIONSQueen Elizabeth II, Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, England.Canadiana Fund, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Canada House, London, England.Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.Hibernia Management, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada.Marine Atlantic, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.Cabot Development, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada.
