PUZZLES 2022

“The Puzzle series was started in 2009 and is still active. After constructing pieces for the By Manufacturer series, I found myself with a collection of scrap wood. I started building smaller structures with the scraps and arranging them together in multiple sections. Breaking out of the rectangle and square for a surface to paint on, the Puzzles are multi-dimensional and can be flipped and rearranged. The wood grain is juxtaposed against color fields and pin stripes that are taken from various sources within industrial design and luxury fashion. (Synthetic vs Nature).” - David E. Peterson

PUZZLES and leaners - SERIES

PAINTED PHOTOGRAPHS - SERIES

JCrew Women's Tops and Bottoms - Installation

Acrylic, MDF & UV resin / 22 piece installation - each 4" x 6" - 12" x 16"

Manufacturer - SERIES

Artist Statement

David E. Peterson makes rule-based paintings that are informed by high-end industrial design goods, including laptop computers, athletic shoes, men's and women's fashion, and modern architecture. For his JCrew Women's Tops and Bottoms installation he has selected specific women's tops and bottoms from JCrew catalogs circa Fall of 2011 through Spring 2013. The tops and bottoms are randomly juxtaposed to create top and bottom diptychs that represent the tops and bottoms of an outfit as if it was selected to wear for that particular day or occasion. The overall installation is a spectrum of color and texture that is current with contemporary culture.

Artist Biography

b. 1979, USA

An abstract painter inspired by Product Design, Graphic Design and Architecture, David E. Peterson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1979. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States, Argentina, Europe, and Asia. David Peterson’s work is included in the collections of the Museum of New Art (Detroit), Progressive Art Collection, Bilzin and Sumberg, Home Depot, Related Group, among many others. His work has been profiled on Forbes.com, Loft Magazine, Southern Living, CNN, and Detroit Free Press. David holds a BFA from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.

David E. Peterson was named "One of the Top 20 Professionals Under 40" in Miami's Brickell Magazine. His installation JCrew Women's Tops & Bottoms was also featured this in New York Magazine, Design (Spring 2013).
 
" Industrial Design informs my work. Inspiration might come from a brightly-colored sneaker, an eye-catching dress, an intricate watch or a well-arranged print ad. Once my interest is captured, I immediately begin translating the design into my work. I begin the process by systematically identifying the most important elements of the industrial design. I am looking at color, line, shape, scale, and finish. These key traits are broken down, then reconstructed as the foundation for my own composition in Photoshop. This computer rendering becomes my mock-up and I refer to it as I build my panel, paint it and apply the finish. My studio becomes an artist’s assembly line; the end result is a precise Art Object.

I find this order by reducing the elements in the system that contrasts a state of entropy with a predetermined structural order that is based on the principles of design and architecture. The pieces are acrylic paint, MDF, and exotic wood in layers of resin. The resin creates depth and enables the piece to be viewed on multiple levels."

Peterson’s work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of New Art in Detroit, as well as many other notable public and private art collections.  He is represented by the Krause Gallery in New York City, Alejandra con Hartz Gallery in Miami, FL, and DECORAZONgallery.

David E. Peterson currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.