Peter Peebles – Illustrator

! Peter Peebles – Illustrator. A local Gold Coast artist partially credits his Native American heritage, and the influence of his gifted artistic family for providing the foundation and discipline required to pursue his passion and establish a career as an illustrator. Peter Peebles was born in Minneapolis and has been living on the east coast for over 30 years. He graduated from The Kansas City Art Institute on full scholarship where he studied painting and printmaking under Lester Goldman and Wilbur Neiwald. Peter received a solid foundation in classical painting method; and was recognized for his excellence in painting and printmaking as well as student teaching. ”Art school was a magical time, the learning environment at KCAI was wonderful”, he recalls. He experienced a valuable feeling of belonging and a sense of community while at the Art Institute which culminated in tremendous creative energy. He was strongly influenced and inspired by the works of great classical painters such as Alma Tadema, Gerome, Sir Edmund Leighton, J.W. Waterhouse just to name a few. Peter’s studies also focused on the exceptional contemporary illustrators; such as Norman Rockwell, Dean Cornwall, NC Wyeth, Winslow Homer. And later, Howard Terpning, Frank McCarthy, Burton Silverman, Richard Schmidt, and most notably, Frank Frazetta. Shortly after graduation the decision was made to move to the east coast, and he chose to relocate to Boston. Peter admits, “I always planned to make my career as an illustrator, but the move directly to New York City was a bit intimidating.” The decision proved to be fortuitous however, as it was in Boston where he met his wife Barbara. “It was amazing, I was flat broke with questionable prospects; yet we continue to share a wonderful life together more than 25 years later”. Peter industriously began work putting together his portfolio and making the trips to New York City – doing the “drop-off’ routine which can be quite frustrating when starting out. Persistence paid off, for it was not too long when he successfully engaged an agent and was given many opportunities for cover art from publishing houses, advertising and marketing campaigns. The “career was launched” and Peter spent the next period of his career working for clients such as Random House, Collier, Harper Collins, Broderbund, Penguin, Wired Magazine, ACE, TOR, among others. In addition to cover illustration, Peter also began building his portrait and mural projects – which he found incredibly rewarding in addition to being a lot of fun. Peter’s personal and professional work has always focused on the human figure. Portraiture has been a natural progression, and he now works primarily as a portrait painter. His philosophy: creating a sense of who someone is, - is found in the process. “I make little conscience effort to find a subjects character, I simply paint what I see.” A good artist is trained to see and interpret and not merely copy. Having said that, Peter is happy to take time with a client to ensure they are comfortable with the process, and engaged at various points along the journey to a completed portrait or mural. The artist prefers to take his own reference photographs, literally eliminating the need for multiple sittings and consultations in this busy environment. Peter can be admired for many things beyond his creativity and talent - his strength and character to overcome personal tragedy; his kindness and professionalism. He lives an authentic life, which translates to the art and is evidenced in the joy of the painting itself. His advice to young artists has been to be true to yourself, follow your passion and live with integrity. And always find time to golf! He lives and works in Glen Cove, NY with his wife Barbara and their daughter Olivia Alexis. .

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