Peter Pettegrew

Just about everybody has heard of Florida landscape painter Peter Pettegrew by now, but have you ever thought of him as one of South’s famous Highwayman? Alright, that’s a little bit of a stretch, but he is– in his own way– very much like a lone Highwayman painting on location all over Florida , Georgia and the Carolinas. In Pettegrew’s early days of selling his work, it was “the old paint ‘em and sell ‘em” right from his car, and later from a big van his agent Jim Cournoyer owned. And yes, sometimes the paint was still wet when the sale was made!

When Peter hooked up with Jim in 1993, Jim took over the selling so Peter could devote more time to hittin’ the highways and back roads finding new subjects with the “right place with the right light.”

Although Pettegrew’s style has more of a Hudson River School feel with many layers of paint– more like Beanie Backus (one of Peter’s favorites and a Highwaymen mentor), in fact, his work has a lot in common with the Highwaymen. All of the Highwaymen artists are largely self taught, sharing ideas and learning with fellow painters, occasionally doing workshops together and separately.

Here is Pettegrew with Sam Newton who, along with brothers Len and Harold Newton, are among the best known original Highwayman. Peter took Sam’s workshop and they had much to talk about… a lot of years and stories on the road painting in Florida.

Peter’s favorite time to work is always what is called the “golden time,” just like Beanie Backus and most of the Highwayman.

“My favorite times of day were late afternoon or early morning, because the light is more alive then. I like the effect of light on the color of an object, and how light differs from day-to-day, season-to-season, place-to-place.”
Beanie Backus

JC

Peter writes:

My wife’s parents live in a small, lakeside town called Bigfork in Northwest Montana during the summer months. Bigfork is a beautiful place, situated between several rugged mountain ranges and at the convergence of the Swan River and Flathead Lake, the longest lake in the Western United States. Jack Hannah has an incredible home on a rock out-cropping overlooking the lake and author Robert Ludlum’s home is at the end of the street that my in-laws live on, overlooking Flathead River. We spent time on both rivers and Flathead Lake, taking in the sweeping views as you paddle, sail or float your way along. A short drive away is Glacier National Park, where I had the chance to do some sketching and photographing on the snow-capped mountain top near the summit, where the summer air is clean and crisp – a far cry from Florida’s summer humidity.

Another great way to get around was by trail bikes, where we were able to cross into town by way of the logging roads cut across the mountain ridge. We found galleries filled with exceptional landscape paintings including stone lithos by noted Montana artist Russell Chatham, an influence on my choice of subject matter since the mid 1980’s. Another surprise of the trip was participating in a sailboat regatta on Placid Lake with a mixed group of boating fanatics – a race that produced several strong gales and flipped a few of the participants into the drink. On the final day, we hiked into an area known for it’s wild huckleberries and came across a motherlode of the sweet tasting goodies. As it turned out, the late winter had been ideal for producing such an unusual bounty and we were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time. I think that could be said of the whole trip in general – Montana’s such a beautiful place, you can hardly go wrong.

Here’s Peter– and more is on the way!

This is how it was described by Jim “The Man” Cournoyer:

Florida landscape impressionist painter Peter Pettegrew is guest of honor at his one man show hosted by The Annex at Neptune Beach FL.
A Collection of New Works from this modern day plein air impressionist. Pettegrew brought 39 paintings along with original handmade serigraphs and stone lithographs painted over the last 2 years. The collection includes painting from his travels in Montana, California, South Carolina, the Caribbean and, of course, Florida.
The huge collection of Pettegrew landscapes was matched by the huge turn-out for this fund raiser and the 1st Pettegrew show here at the Annex.
The show will be up until 25th of July The Annex 200 1st Street North Neptune Beach Florida (904-247-7200)

I met up with Captain and crew at Christenstead Harbor in St. Croix, where we rented a car and toured the entire island. The shot of the pig was at an odd bar up in the rain forest that someone had suggested.

Later that day we sailed for Buck Island, still a part of St. Croix but about 1 1/2 miles off the coast. The shot of the boat “One Love” was taken from ashore and as you can see it’s a very beautiful and pristine place, part of the National Parks System.

It’s hard to believe you’re in US territory. The following day we set sail for the other Virgin Islands, about 25 miles due north, coming into Norman Island (BVI) and then dropping anchor at Cinnamon Bay on St. Johns.

Again, we were in the Parks System as this island is 2/3  National Park (USA)  thanks to the generosity of Lawrence Rockefeller, who liked to spend time there. This was probably my favorite spot and one that I would like to get back to for a more extended painting excursion. After that, we sailed across to Tortola where we provisioned the boat and exchanged a few crew members. That night was spent moored in Trellis Bay, an artist community that sits just steps away from the small airport on the tip of Tortola. We sailed down the Northwest coast of Tortola the following day and docked at Soper’s Hole to have a few mechanical issues looked at, and on the suggestion of locals, stayed at dock overnight to allow some bad weather to work by. The following day was sunny and breezy with a steady 30knots blowing from the east. We sailed all the way up the Sir Francis Drake Channel to the northern tip of Virgin Gorda and grabbed a mooring just off the Bitter End Yacht Club for the night. Necker Island, owned privately by Sir Richard Bransen could be seen just off to the north. The following day we sailed to the opposite end of Virgin Gorda to the famous “Baths”, a formation of huge, smooth boulders piled up along a stretch of sandy, palm lined beach where you can either explore the caves and paths on shore or snorkel the coral reef just in front of it. Being my last day, I opted for doing both.

We spent the night in Cane Garden Bay, back in Tortola under idyllic conditions and I was delivered to the ferry dock early the next day for departure back to Florida.

Peter Pettegrew

Caribbean impressionist landscape painter Peter Pettegrew leaves Florida today for an 8 day painting expedition to St. John, St. Croix and St Thomas– US Virgin Islands, exploring for those idyllic scenes Pettegrew always finds. Mostly known as a Florida landscape impressionist , he is also known as a western landscape impressionist, a southeastern landscape impressionist and of course a Caribbean landscape impressionist painter. On this trip he will be traveling on a 55 foot catamaran; he is an experienced sailor and will also be part of the crew.
Last year he did a voyage on the same ship and sketched, painted and sailed his way through the British Virgin Islands and then on to St. Maarten and St. Barts in the West Indies. Look for pictures of his travels here in about 2 weeks …bon voyage.

Stellers Gallery Annex at Neptune Beach invites you to the opening reception of Florida landscape painter Peter Pettegrew, Friday June 13 from 6-9 pm.

Stellers Gallery (Neptune Beach)
200 First St
Neptune Beach, FL 32266-6177
Phone: (904) 247-7200

Via Jacksonville.com Entertainment

Gallery exhibit – The Stellers Gallery in Neptune Beach will be exhibiting the impressionist-style work of Peter Pettegrew though Friday, July 11. He’s a naturalist whose paintings capture the subtle luminous lighting, delicate tones and colors from his hikes and rural camps. Pettegrew, from Central Florida, is also captivated by the “feel and presence” of Southern wetlands, from the Everglades to South Carolina. Stellers Gallery Annex, at Beaches Town Center at 200 First Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 247-7200.

–From Jacksonville.com

Peter Pettegrew has completed “Dawn On The Island,” a robust 30×40 oil painting on stretched canvas. Exploiting the subtle shades of green and gold ever-present in the wild Florida landscape is something Peter does in nearly every painting, but this piece explores these tonalities with a delicate mastery without exaggerating for effect.

Click here to watch Peter Pettegrew talk about the Gatorland project.

Peter Pettegrew’s art consulting expertise is tested at the famous “Old Florida” tourist attraction Gatorland. Be sure to watch the video to see Peter talking about the project.

Working alone in swamps isn’t unusual for Peter Pettegrew. But Gatorland, his current south Orange County location, is hardly the typical studio for the renowned landscape artist.

Traffic from Orange Blossom Trail whizzes behind him. Noisy construction crews hammer around him, rebuilding the entrance to one of Central Florida’s oldest attractions.

“It’s been an interesting project. Every morning we walk through [Gatorland] and look at all the nesting birds,” said Pettegrew, who makes landscapes on canvas — not huge walls — his life’s work. One of his paintings has fetched as much as $35,000 at auction, and his work is in museums, corporate offices and the private collections of former Vice President Dan Quayle and actor John Travolta.

Pettegrew, 44, and fellow artists Rita Canan and Alison Horne, owners of Orlando firm Muralistically Inclined, are finishing a weeks-long project that includes four 21-foot-tall murals on the outside of Gatorland’s new retail building.

–From the Orlando Sentinel

Read the whole story *here*.