Peter Pettegrew

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Florida Impressionist landscape painter Peter Pettegrew and friends at his two man show at Galeria del Mar in St Augustine Florida.

Peter Petegrew At Galeria del Mar, St Augustine

Matt Cutter and Peter Pettegrew

Above: Matt Cutter and Peter Pettegrew

Frank Smith and Peter Pettegrew

Above, Peter with Windham Hill guitarist and personal friend Frank Smith, who came all the way up from Naples, Florida to perform during Peter’s show.

Peter Pettegrew & Matthew Cutter, Two Man Show July 31st – August 1st At Galeria del Mar at 9 King St. in downtown St. Augustine, Florida. Featuring Fine Wines and Tapas dishes, and a live joint painting demonstration.
Spend a weekend with these two artists whose work remains in great demand. This is a true reward for past and future collectors. Cutter’s and Pettegrew’s paintings are instantly recognizable and they have a following that is as vast as the panoramic vistas they so skillfully capture. This event will give further proof to the power of these artists to show you what they see and how these incredible visions make them feel…

About Matthew J Cutter (1974 -)
Raised in rural New Hampshire, Matthew J Cutter was introduced to art by his parents at an early age. With their encouragement he spent much of his free time drawing to his heart’s desire. Around the age of ten, Matthew’s grandmother, Helen Cutter, expanded his artistic endeavors by teaching him the basics of painting. They spent many hours together nurturing Matthew’s talent, which would prove crucial to his later development as an artist.

In his teen years Cutter left the art world behind to pursue other interests, but that early attraction resurfaced in his mid-twenties when he participated in a painting workshop with listed American artist, Morgan Samuel Price. From there his interest grew deeper and he looked to the works of the Old Masters, such as John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, and the California Impressionists to further his knowledge of painting. Present day painters such as Richard Schmid, Scott Christensen, Matt Smith, and Daniel Gerhartz have also influenced Cutter.

Matthew’s emergence to the art world has been a slow process culminating in his first one-man-show in February 2006. The show was a great success with 30 originals selling on opening night. It is worth noting that while Cutter’s pursuit of art is not a full-time opportunity at this point in his life, it is a full-time passion. He has traveled to places such as Taos, NM, the Smoky Mountains and St. Kitts in search of subject matter and he currently resides in St. Augustine, FL.

About Peter Pettegrew
Peter Pettegrew has devoted his life to capturing the timeless beauty of the natural landscape on canvass. As a youth, his world was centered around Monterey Bay, California, and it was here that his compelling encounters with the ocean inspired sketches. As early as four years of age, his aunt, who was a painter, recognized his talent and insisted to his mother that he only be given blank paper; no coloring books. Childhood sketches symbolized the sights and sensations of ocean landscapes, and soon more serious efforts resulted as he turned to painting.

By ten years of age, the artist was already studying with one of the older marine painters in the Bay Area. His formal art education began when he applied and qualified for admission to Harbor Senior High in Santa Cruz, California, a prestigious and progressive school dedicated to advancing the development of artistic skills and creative freedom. After moving to Florida, Pettegrew went on to attend the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where he studied painting as well as graphic art techniques that he now employs in his work with hand-pulled serigraphs, stone lithographs, and originals. After his formal education, he furthered his schooling in individual mediums through private artist workshops, including oil painting, watercolor techniques and charcoal drawing.

Finding his inspiration through detailed research of the Master Impressionists and plein air painters of the 19th Century, this work revealed the undeniable course for his life, “to honor the face of nature by painting her portrait in so many ways and in so many places.” His captivating impressionistic style, using delicate tones, subtle luminous lighting, and savory blends of color, has resulted in distinctive paintings for his collectors. From childhood, the landscapes have always been the beloved subject for Pettegrew’s passionate creations.

A naturalist, and outdoorsman, he camps, hikes, and explores, to find his timeless compositions. It is this focus, this need to completely lose himself in the wilderness in order to paint, breathing in the air of dawn and dusk, that nurtures the inspiration he pours onto his canvases. He draws inspiration from his diverse travels. In the last few years he has been to France, the Bahamas, Montana, and California to capture his subject. Most often he is painting in the Southeastern United States. His home and studio are in Orlando, Florida, with another family residence on Marco Island, not far from the Big Cypress Swamp in the Everglades.

Mr. Pettegrew states, “Whether I’m painting in the Everglades or in the marshes of South Carolina, these Southern wetlands have a feel and presence like nowhere else I’ve been. This land is where the spirit within lies very close to the surface. Its beauty abounds and one does not have to struggle to locate its magnificent side.” Mr. Pettegrew always receives high praise from museum and gallery directors throughout the United States for his one-man and group exhibitions. Collectors anxiously await each new painting. The huge demand for Pettegrew’s work is gratifying for the artist, by providing him the means to give back to the natural world. He acts on his commitment to Promote, Preserve, and Protect the environment through his art. His gallery and museum events, and the ongoing sales of some of his work are venues to channel his support for environmental causes. “I think we all need a greater sensitivity of our natural surroundings and what I fully experience when on location is what I spiritually need to paint. My hope is that this emotion is fully communicated, not just in the traditional sense, but rather a message of the mystery and joy in how nature really feels. Through painting, I share my love of nature with others and hopefully help to preserve her beauty.”

For additional information, Contact: Galeria del Mar @ (904) 829-2120 • 9 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 • gdm@cutterandcutter.com

The famous and venerable Sunshine Artist Magazine reported on the Winter Park Art Festival thusly:

WINTER PARK AUTUMN ART FESTIVAL
Winter Park, Florida
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
With so many posters this year featuring great artwork, particularly
great painting, Winter Park Auturrm Art Festival’s victory is especially
noteworthy. Although the judges said there was nothing out of the
ordinary about the subject matter (a typical Florida landscape), they
were impressed with the simple poetry of its creation.
“[We] kept coming back to it,” Lussier said, “and all
comments were positive.”

The Winning Poster

One of the benefits of having a panel of judges is that
one judge can recuse herself if there is a conflict of interest,
so although Shelton didn’t have a hand in the creation of this
poster, she did let the other two judges make the call because of
her involvement with the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival.
RK . .
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
“Whether I’m painting in the Everglades or in the marshes
of South Carolina,” said Peter Pettegrew, “these Southern
wetlands have a feel and presence like nowhere else I’ve been.
This land is where the spirit within lies very close to the surface.
Its beauty abounds, and one does not have to struggle to locate
its magnificent side,”
Pettegrew has been capturing the outdoors, as he does
with Ostello View, since he was a child. His aunt, also a painter,
insisted that the 4-year-old be given no coloring books but only
blank paper after seeing his sketches. As a teen, Pettegrew was
accepted into the prestigious Harbor Senior High in Santa
Cruz, California, afterwards continuing his formal education at
the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Acclaimed for his gallery exhibitions, the Orlando, Florida,
artist has attracted collectors such as Dan Quayle, John Travolta
and John Rigsby, but the artist is most thankful for his ability to
protect nature as he shares it with others.
The poster was designed by C&S Press Inc.

Excerpt from Sunshine Artist Magazine

Text and art Courtesy of Sunshine Artist Magazine

The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens will
be hosting the first annual Winter Park Paintoutt in the last week of April of 2009. The artists of this invitational show were all challenged to compete in designing the image to be used in the poster and subsequent advertising for the event. When all of the entries were in and the judging complete, it was a sweeping view ofthe museum facade from the front of the grounds by Peter Pettegrew that caught their attention. Peter’s painting will now be part of the permenant collection of the museum located in historic Winter Park. Peter, along with most all of the prominent landscape painters of the
area, will be participating in the event including nationally recognized and award winning Larry Moore and Florida landscape specialist and long time Winter Park artist Tom Sadler, both of which Peter has had the privilege of working along side of in the field on several different occasions and an other paintouts in the area including the Wekiva Paintout > which is sponsored this year by the Wekiva Island Marinaand which will be hosting many fine events for the participating artists.

Although Pettegrew’s style has more of a Hudson River School feel with many layers of paint–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 brother Harold Newton, are among the best known original Highwayman. Peter took Sam’s workshop and they had much to talk about… many years and stories on the road painting in Florida

“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

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!

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