Flower Power

While it may seem unusual to transition from playing in a punk rock band to cutting up old House & Garden magazines for flower decoupage, for Peter Dayton it is just one in many transitions asking himself, ‘What’s next?’” He comments, “I have this weird ability to do what I think I want to do.” Confidence, creativity and curiosity meld together in this modern-day renaissance man, leading to a successful international art career.

Dayton knew from a young age his path. His first-grade teacher said to his mother, “Pssst, Peter is going to be an artist.”

Top marks were not really the goal in his education but instead having experiences, studying in France and Switzerland. Time abroad in high school formed his outlook. “It was an immersive program living 9 months with a French family and they didn’t speak any English, not even hello,” he recounts, “It was a real challenge and I didn’t say anything for three months.” How surprised was that family when they later saw him on television in a cowboy hat and Levis being interviewed and singing in fluent French.

The exposure to French literature to Sartre and Camus hit an intellectual chord for Dayton, “I love existentialism. I would carry that psychology into punk that would give it another edge.” Indeed, the punk rock band he founded was called “La Peste,” a nod to Camus’ famous novel. Dayton taught himself to play guitar, and with the band found themselves opening for The Ramones. “We didn’t know how to play music and then three years later we were the best band in Boston. Ric Ocasek from The Cars got involved and produced some of our work.” Yet in another seismic shift he decided to find a way back into the art world. “Being in a band there were always seven people around and I thought I really wanted to be alone again.”

Dayton moved to the East End in 1988 to stay at his mother’s house in East Hampton on Main Street. One day he saw a dumpster in the neighbor’s driveway and discovered a bunch of 1950s House & Garden magazines. “I thought it would be so weird if I started making collages out of pictures of old flower arrangements in old magazines. I would twist it on its head,” he explains, “One guy in the art world said, ‘It looks like Grandma took acid.’” His resulting show in 1994 in Chelsea was a hit. This led to architect Peter Marino discovering and acquiring his work for the homes he was designing. It also led to him asking Dayton to produce some designs for Chanel. Dayton recounts, “The only rule was to use the camellia image. I did almost every boutique.” 

The French connection continues with his work for Louis Vuitton. Of his process Dayton comments, “A trick when I do a flower is it’s the exact same flower but it has changed its scale and coloring. One single image is repeated which is a Warhol thing to do.”

Dayton has continuously lived on the East End, now in Springs where he lives with his wife who is also an artist and two rescue dogs. It was a chance encounter when the new Director of Visual Arts of Guild Hall, Melanie Crader, discovered him. “To have someone so respected in the art world believe in you really changes things,” he says.

Crader first became aware of his work at Harper’s East Hampton location where he had designed a table. She comments, “Intrigued, I asked around, and the artist, Christine Sciulli, kindly offered to make an introduction. Upon visiting Peter’s studio, I knew we would work together in some capacity in the future. When we decided to embark on the site-specific installation in the stairwell, I immediately thought of Peter, and we are all so pleased with how the project turned out.”

Dayton’s resulting installation is “Dark Garden,” more Munsters than Monet. “I wanted something that wasn’t pretty but more radical and different. It looks like a garden you would go into and be slightly scared. Perfect for the theatrical experience.” He created a background which was the same flower over and over in black and white and then added cut out oversized flowers in bright, somewhat “garish” colors. Maybe the perfect hybrid of punk and decoupage.

Peter Dayton and Melanie Crader will be having an artist’s discussion at Guild Hall on Nov. 3rd for more insight.