Casper, Wyoming — Travis Peake, Kerry Walsh’s teacher and wrestling coach, developed a deep love and talent for creating works of art. However, when his life took a different turn, Peake’s passion and talent for painting and drawing was temporarily put on hold. However, after joining his KWHS as an art teacher in recent years, Peak seems determined to regain his love of the visual arts and make up for his lost time.
Peek, who was originally born in Casper but spent most of his youth in Douglas, said his affinity for the arts seemed to run mostly through his family.
“My father was a very artistic person, so I think my love for him definitely comes from him.” It helped me grow as a person.”
As a teenager, Peake’s love of art rivaled his love of wrestling. And when it came time to choose what he wanted to focus on in college, he realized he couldn’t choose between the two. Eventually, he received scholarships in both wrestling and art. After he attended junior college, he transferred to a four-year college on an arts scholarship, where he won a wrestling scholarship.
“I wanted to pursue art, but I also wanted to coach wrestling,” he said with a laugh.
After college, Peake became a wrestling coach and physical education teacher. During that time, he said, art became something of an afterthought for him.
However, he eventually got a job with Kelly Walsh as an art teacher, not as a physical education teacher. It was then that Peak rediscovered his love for making art.
“Honestly, if I hadn’t taken this art teacher job, I probably wouldn’t have it again,” he said.
Peak has an eclectic artistic identity, working with everything from charcoal to watercolors to oil pastels.
“I’ve always loved experimenting with different shapes, and there are some things you can do with it,” he said. “I had to spend a little more time with watercolors, but I still have a lot to learn from it.”
Peek added that the challenges involved in painting with watercolors are part of the reason watercolor is his favorite form.
But when it comes to the subjects he captures, it’s clear what Peak likes to create. Most of his work depicts the beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Wyoming.
“I love Wyoming. There is so much beauty here,” he said. “There are so many cool animals that I just want to paint and draw them.”
Many times Peake said he drew inspiration from fishing trips he took.
He likes to take his time with his work, often spending more than a month on a single painting. However, he added that he is more than capable of meeting tight deadlines.
“Even if you’re creating a piece for a contest or something and you only have a few weeks, you have plenty of ability to churn something out,” he said.
Peek said that by spending his days teaching art, he was able to keep his abilities sharp, and that teaching his students helped him grow further as an artist.
“One of my favorite things about being an art teacher is how hard the kids work,” he said. “In physical education, a lot of kids don’t want to be there. It makes me happy.”
Peak’s biggest piece of advice for all young and aspiring artists is to find a mentor.
“Take a lecture; find someone who has worked longer than you and get guidance from them,” he said. “There are so many things to learn about design, color, perspective.
For Peak, he said the most rewarding part of the creative process is the sense of accomplishment you get when you complete a piece.
He also said that Peak prefers to create art for himself, but that in recent years he has also started selling artwork. Selected pieces of art displayed at his 307 Metalworks in downtown Casper are for sale, and more are available for purchase on his website.
