Peter Mook

Peter Mook, born in Southport, United Kingdom, resides and works in this magnificent seaside town.

We are happy to say that Peter Mook himself supported us in writing this article about him, as well as some other articles you can find on our blog. We would like to thank Peter Mook for his contributions in both word and image.

Passion: A Must-Have to Become a Master in Art

When Peter Mook was at art school, he almost chose a different path in life. After months of drawing and painting, he did not find the joy he was seeking. He requested to leave and considered following in his father’s footsteps to become a bricklayer.

It was the lecturers who persuaded Peter Mook to stay for one more project. The agreement was that if this project did not change his mind, he would be allowed to leave. This moment in time could have led Peter Mook’s life down a completely different path.

The next project was entirely different from the drawing and painting he was accustomed to in his studies—it was sculpting. This is where his passion for sculpting began. He became instantly obsessed with everything related to sculpting and never thought about bricklaying again.

This fiery passion led Peter Mook to complete his education with a first-class honors degree in 3-Dimensional Design and to become the world-renowned sculptor he is today.

Master in Art: The Creative Process

It is often stated that to become exceptional, you need to be obsessed with what you are doing. In a positive way, this describes Peter Mook’s relationship with sculpting. As Peter Mook himself states, he lives and breathes sculpting. He never stops thinking about it, and new ideas are always flowing through his mind.

Peter Mook working on the Sylvester the Cat with Tweety Bird butler.

The process from Peter Mook’s mind to a 3D sculpture begins with carving out the shape. During this carving, Peter works out how to bring his vision to life. He does not sketch the sculpture on paper first; it goes directly from his mind to the sculpture. This direct approach is also the part he enjoys most about sculpting.

The Creative Process: In Practice

From his mind to a sculpture, the process can take hours, days, weeks, or sometimes even months. Peter Mook carves using Chavant wax, which is then molded with silicone rubber and cast in polyester resin. This is a well-proven technique, used not only by Peter Mook but also by other artists.

Chavant wax is a wax-based clay that does not dry out or shrink. Due to these properties, it is perfect for sculpting. Sculpting a statue takes an impressive amount of time, and the material you work with needs to stay flexible during the creation process.

Polyester resin is a material that is not only beautiful to look at but also perfect for withstanding the test of time. This resin is often painted using an airbrush, making it ideal for creating intricate and lifelike sculptures with a great deal of detail.

1996-2010: Best Period in My Life

Between 1996 and 2010, Peter Mook produced hundreds of statues. He describes this period as the best time of his life because he could create what he wanted and make a living from it. Making a living as a sculptor is challenging, especially with the cheap labor in China these days, which often compromises not only the cost of labor but also the quality of the sculptures.

During these years, Peter Mook collaborated with mr. Rutten to distribute his works for license holders such as King Features, Paws, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. The sculptures Peter Mook created during this period are among the most sought-after in the world. In these sculptures, you can clearly see Peter Mook’s passion for the characters he sculpted.

During this time, Peter Mook worked on his sculptures in the Philippines due to their immense success and high production volume. It was a task that Peter could no longer manage alone.

Did you know… That some of Peter Mook’s personal favorites from this era were Wile E. Coyote as a waiter and the Wile E. Coyote on the Rocket.

2010: End of a Era

In 2007, the market collapsed, leading to a worldwide financial crisis that was unprecedented and arguably even worse than the stock market crash of 1929. This also had an effect on Peter Mook and his life. Since 2010, he could no longer find full-time work as a sculptor. Peter Mook had to retrain as a tiler, which he did for 18 months until he could finally return to sculpting.

In 2013, Peter Mook collaborated with Border Fine Arts, a company owned by Enesco. During this time, he created “A Moment in Time” and several Marvel pieces for Enesco.

Did you know… That Peter Mook’s personal favorites from this time where Frozen and Iron Man.

A Moment In Time Sculpture

Peter Mook: Today

Peter Mook prefers to work on his own statues and human figures. Due to the constant stream of commissions he receives, he can only work on his own sculptures during the weekends. And this is where Peter Mook has a surprise for the collectors!

After almost 15 years of work, Peter Mook is nearly finished creating a line of his own designs. This collection will include animal sculptures, human figurines, wall art, lighting, and busts. Some pieces will be small, while others will be quite large. In total, there will be around 35 pieces! These will be available on Peter Mook’s own website.

Each of these pieces carries a message for you. Whether it is an experience in Peter Mook’s life that is very personal to him or a more light-hearted take on life, it is for you to discover.

Peter Mook: A Personal Note

For this blog article, we had the opportunity to speak with Peter Mook. In addition to all this information, we asked him a few more personal questions too. Let’s dive into these and get to know Peter Mook.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

I would have to say working and living as a full-time sculptor. With all the competition these days from prototyping and cheap factories, just working as a sculptor is extremely difficult.

What kind of advice would you give to a starting sculptor?

Keep it as a hobby. Prototyping and cheap labor make it a very tough profession. I was lucky to enter the business probably 20 years before it became so difficult. So, I managed to make a bit of a name for myself. There were once many sculptors in the UK, specializing in everything from birds to Lilliput Lane and more. But they all gave up due to the cheap labor.

How do you feel about so many people collecting your work?

I get great pleasure from the many emails I receive from people all over the world who still enjoy pieces that I carved over 20 years ago. I also experience great joy when I see statues I carved randomly appear on TV or in films. For instance, a halo bust in The Big Bang Theory, an open and close sign on The Walking Dead, a chef on Coronation Street, and a Hollywood film had one of my golfers on display. Hopefully, they will still be popping up for my children to see long after I’ve gone.

Worth the Read

Due to his extensive work over the decades, we have much more to share about Peter Mook’s creations and collaborations with manufacturers. We also recommend you read:

Peter Mook’s Collections: About some of his collections of sculptures from world-renowned brands like King Features, Paws, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros.

From Deko Design to Rutten to Fingendi to CartoonWorldwide.com: About all the parties involved in Peter Mook’s best period in his life.

Heissner – Big Figurines Garden Statues: About the series of Walt Disney garden statues that Peter Mook sculpted for Heissner AG.

Peter Mook, Where To Buy

In time, some of Peter Mook’s works will be available for sale on his own website. However, for his vintage sculptures, you will have to search extensively. This is where we can help you. At Precious Collectibles, we have the largest collection of vintage statues sculpted by Peter Mook. We are talking about a few hundred, many of which are in stock.

For those items not in stock, use the stock notification function on the single product page. This way, you will be the first to know when they are back in stock. When shopping for these rare collectibles at Precious Collectibles, you can be confident that they are not only of the highest possible quality but also professionally shipped. This is of great importance when shipping such rare and fragile statues.