Peggy Wyman's Biography

Peggy grew up in Idaho in the shadow of the Tetons and attended the University of Idaho where she graduated with a degree in mathematics, then moved to Southern California to begin a career in computers. Thirty years later she came to her senses and answered her soul’s call to quit her job and do what she had always dreamed of doing: write the kind of sprawling historical novels she loved to read.

It was during the research phase for her second novel about the California missions that she discovered fiber sculpture and set out to explore various kinds of fiber creations. Once she tried coiling with pine needles, she was hooked. Between the engaging aroma and silky feel of the needles and the soothing repetition of sewing the coils together, she found the perfect way to reground herself after a day of writing.

Boredom with creating “traditional” geometic shapes led her to experiment with allowing the needles and thread to take the lead. That led her into fiber sculpture and from there into the world of fine arts.

Shortly thereafter, she and her husband, Jerry, moved to the Southern California mountain art mecca of Idyllwild where she began a two-year stint working in the best of the local galleries. Seeing the art and artists from the business side gave her a whole new perspective on her work and life as an artist. It was in Idyllwild that she experienced her first solo exhibition and first “Best of Show” award as well as the publication of her first two novels: Mission (the book that led her to fiber sculpture) in 2002 and Shining Mountains, Western Sea in 2003.

In 2004, she and her husband moved again. This time to the Missouri Ozarks where they purchased an acreage, built their dream house (most of it with their own hands) and started a cattle ranch. The move also provided the impetus to take her art to a higher level by securing the representation of additional galleries in the Midwest and beyond and by jurying into dozens of national exhibitions (see Awards and Exhibitions) from California to North Carolina, Chicago to Texas. The result has been that her art has found an even larger audience and a growing following among art collectors. But, that’s just the icing. The “cake” for her is that she is living a life filled with creativity, passion and joy, doing what speaks to her and to her soul. As she says, "Life is good!"