“A fusion of nature, artistry, and craftsmanship.”
It seems live-edge wood, tinted epoxy, and an eye for beauty in the rough are all local artisan Cory Peterson needs to create lovely, one-of-a-kind works of art. From stunning live-edge surfboard wall art to full-length table tops, this IT whiz turned woodworking ace has created numerous one-of-a-kind epoxy pieces for the last four years—each imbued with the vibrant, chaotic beauty only found in the Southeast.
When Peterson decided to focus on making surfboard wall art with his business, South Walton Designs—his main focus for the last year and a half—he didn’t see any other creator in the state doing it. With competition mainly on the West Coast or abroad, Peterson remarked on how quickly his first orders came in. “Once a neighbor saw one product, I already had two more lined up.”
In addition to coastal inspiration, the Southern interior finds its place in Peterson’s work. After living on the beach for over a decade and hearing the locals talk about ‘the lake in Alabama’—Lake Martin— Peterson and his wife decided to take a look themselves. “We moved to Miramar Beach from Minnesota thirteen years ago, and the area around Lake Martin reminded us of what they missed about home – sans the brutal winters.”
“We fell in love immediately,” he said of Alabama’s 44,000-acre reservoir and tourist destination, which features over seven hundred miles of forested shoreline. The area rekindled Peterson’s fondness for the upcountry, so the couple quickly bought and renovated a tiny waterfront home. “I built my first bullet table and a live-edge epoxy countertop soon after that.”
So, when Peterson unexpectedly found himself laid off from his long-time IT position four years ago, he quickly realized he didn’t want to return. “I was done with desks and screens, cooped up all day,” he confessed, using the imposed transition to focus on his creative side: “I missed the outdoors and working with my hands.”
When asked about the types of wood he prefers to make his art, Peterson had a strange response: “Funnily enough, I typically ask for the ugliest pieces,” he laughed, remarking on the looks he sometimes gets. “I like how unique slabs with imperfect edges and rotten spots make for some of the loveliest contrasts. That’s the core of making art to me—digging into something ugly and cleaning the rot until you find the beautiful.” Afterward, he sands the rough edges and removes any remaining decay.
Through this process, he allows the wood’s rawer characteristics to blend with the shimmer of his pour mixture into something truly enchanting. When it comes time for the pour, Peterson likes to tint his mixture with greens or blues to match local coastal and inland water or radiant white and gold – typic in a pattern that allows natural light to flow seamlessly through the finished piece.
Peterson has completed over twenty boards, with more in the works. “After the initial batches, I’ve moved more toward custom orders, ” the craftsman said. I like working with color and wood choices,” he said, describing his love of exploration within the medium and referencing exciting forthcoming jobs such as a full-sized waterfall desk with a 45° epoxy flow to the floor and a series of iconic surfboard coffee tables.
“I like to use colors you would see in nature in the Southeast, really, and want to elicit the same awe in my completed works,” the artisan said of the impetus of his work. “Hopefully, it will be the same as the sunset on Miramar or daybreak out on the lake.”
