BY KAREN BOSSICK

Before you finish dressing that turkey today, think of what Peter Clark went through to finish his.

The Yorkshire-born artist scoured flea markets, car boot sales, paper fairs and antique fairs in Paris,  London, Tokyo and Delhi to find just the right found papers, including old maps, manuscripts, discarded tickets, gift wrap, musical scores, love letters and garments, for his palette.

Then he constructed his turkey out of an array of those finds, including playing cards, old postcards and charts of constellations and galaxies. He even found some lacy Elizabethan artwork to anchor the neck.

“I love the 3D quality of his work, how the pictures he chooses lift up from the piece,” said Casey Hanrahan at Gilman Contemporary art gallery.

Clark’s turkey will be on view during the Apres Ski Giving Gallery Walk on Friday, Nov. 24, at Gilman Contemporary, 661 Sun Valley Road.

The special gallery walk will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., instead of the usual time, and attendees are asked to bring non-perishable goods to deposit in bins outside each gallery to support The Hunger Coalition.

Clark’s turkey is augmented by a number of whimsical dogs and other objects.

“Dasch of Speed” features a dachshund made out of found materials featuring a speedometer, rake wear gauge and even something called a lap indicator. Its legs are comprised of pictures of a woman’s legs.

“Power Dresser” features a German shepherd made of German maps and flowers.

“Terrier King” features a terrier wearing a tiny crown and made out of Yorkshire maps and a portrait of a waist coat.

“Smoking Gun” is made of playing cards, cigarette boxes and nickel and dime holders. “Smoked Fish” was created with cardboard dice cutouts and tobacco cartons, including the cover of a cigar box said to be “by appointment to the King of Spain.” And “Pretty Peace in Pink” features paper Clark has rolled up, along with paper he’s folded into flowers.

“Think how organized he must be to be able to find the right material for the piece he’s working on!” said Hanrahan. “The more time I spend with his pieces the more I see something I didn’t see the first time.”

Clark had a prolific career in design and illustration for Granada Television in London and Manchester and NBC in Los Angeles. He began creating his first commissioned collages in 1999 at the age of 55. Since, the demand for his work has snowballed, leading to him becoming a full-time artist whose works hang in private and public collections worldwide.

Clark says he stores his pieces in transparent boxes and drawers. When it comes time to create a piece, he arranges selected papers to get the colors and scales he wants, then tears and cuts them, folding pieces when the urge hits.

“If it works, great,” he says. “If not, I start again making changes ‘til I’m okay with it.”