Peter Eastman

At its essence my work is a search for harmonic beauty, which I believe is best found in natural shapes, patterns, colors, textures, sounds, and movement. Each work is a record of a pursuit that I would compare to gold mining or pearl diving. Preparation is complex, deliberate, and essential. And the result is usually a surprise, though a surprise that is sought after.

The first event of every piece is the invention of a shape. That shape is arrived at by a combination of intuitive drawing and distillation. Step 2 is to cut out the shape, and then exploit it as vehicle for printing, as stencil, and as collage material. Then, using dry pigment and shellac, and often working with translucent Japanese paper, I manipulate both front and back of the paper to arrive at a finished image that I hope appears to emanate from within.

Ideas that have long been gestating inspire my entry into studio art. A resident of Brooklyn, I was a cultural migrant to NYC in my early-twenties. (Scratch just below the surface and you still find a California surfer.) I hold two university degrees: a Bachelor's in Dramatic Literature from U.C. Berkeley, and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from N.Y.U. For nearly three decades I've worked professionally as a Scene Designer in Theatre and Film, with many projects for national and international theatre, opera, and dance companies. Currently, I serve as Scene Design associate for the musical The Lion King.

Lessons learned designing Theatre - discipline, experimentation, the primacy of Drawing – guide my artistic process. In Theatre, many hours of preparation and rehearsal go into making each moment appear effortless. Likewise in my studio, the same basic dynamic of extensive preparation and effortless-seeming delivery generate the best pieces.

The Other Art Fair Brooklyn, November 2019
The Other Art Fair London, March 2019