A carver of Chesapeake Bay decoys for more than 20 years, Naples resident Peter Sottong directed his love of carving toward local Calusa artifacts and produced a detailed carving of the Key Marco Cat. He has developed a technique for reproducing the "Cat" as well as many of the Calusa artifacts found on Marco Island in 1896. These are sold in Museum and Art League gift shops throughout Southwest Florida.

Additionally, Peter works with cold cast metal, a technique used to achieve a metallic finish with a resin. Cold-casting is a term used to describe the process of mixing metal powder with a resin and applying the mixture into a mold. The finished casting gives the appearance and weight of solid metal. The metal cold-cast process is faster and much less expensive when compared with foundry casting of molten metal (lost wax process). Different metal powders, such as Bronze, Brass, Nickel, Silver and Copper, Iron or Pewter, can be used depending on the desired effect. Once completed patinas and waxes can be applied to further enhance the image. Each piece is individually sculpted from wood in multiple layers and then up to 6 or 7 layers of real metal is applied over time until the entire wood core is completely enclosed in metal(s).

Encased in solid metal, the sculptures can be placed in an outdoor environment, such as a pool area, lanai, bathroom or boat as well as mounted on interior walls as beautiful works of art. These pieces cannot be put in dramatically changing environments, such as the constant freezing/thawing found in Northern climates, as the expansion/contraction could damage the internal wood core.

An artist in Southwest Florida for 10 years, Peter received a Master’s Degree in Microbiology from the University of Maryland in 1974 and is the founder of a medical diagnostic firm in the Washington, D.C. area. Peter currently works part-time at the Marco Island YMCA, is married and has three sons and three grandchildren.