| Lennie Peterson |
| Something About Lennie Peterson Lennie Peterson has devoted his life to visual art, music, and arts education. His award-winning artwork has been featured in books and magazines and exhibited in art galleries throughout the United States and abroad. Peterson’s award-winning artwork has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and venues throughout the United States, including the Ceres Gallery in New York City; the Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts in Manhattan, The Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, and the Littlefield Gallery in Brooklyn, New York. Exihibits also include a recent collaboration with guitarist/singer/songwriter Kaki King in New York. His art has been purchased around the world including private collections in Spain, Wales and, most recently, Japan. Exhibits for 2010 include a solo show at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. “The Big Picture,” Peterson’s internationally syndicated daily comic strip, appeared in more than 100 newspapers and was published as a book collection. In addition, he has illustrated nearly a dozen books. Peterson continues to travel the world as a visual artist, musician, conductor, arranger, producer, educator, and recording artist. He is a former professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and a faculty member at the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham, Massachusetts. Peterson currently serves as a creative consultant and music director for corporate film and audio recording at Bose Corporation. He was born and raised in Central Massachusetts, his father a musician and his mother an artist. Lennie Peterson blends his love of music and visual art through a very special prism – channeled through the medium of portraiture. His composer portraits are meticulously hand drawn using pen, ink, and oils. Each portrait is 6 feet high. Once complete, the original drawings are digitally photographed and the images are then tailored for high definition projection on a large scale ranging anywhere from 10 feet to several stories high. Through the use of specialized lighting and customized imaging techniques the personality and dimension of the artwork are further enhanced. And even the walls’ surfaces become an integral part of the artwork’s background and texture. The display of Peterson’s framed original artwork is often coordinated with the large scale projections and the events giving audiences an added dimension to the concert -going experience. As well, Peterson is available for speaking engagements, bringing 30 years of teaching and public speaking experience to audiences of all ages. Lennie Peterson’s creative process is best described as a freeform stream of consciousness. “What I’m most interested in are the improvisational aspects of art and music within a given framework”, he says. “And in that framework, using free association or creative flow.” “Once the image of the composer’s face is reduced to its basic form, I spontaneously draw the details inside that form. I let the pen drift, without thinking about what will happen next. It’s important to just let the flow sort of happen, filling out the page, one line leading to another in an organic growth.” One portrait takes several weeks to complete and each element of the artwork serves a distinct purpose. The colors in Peterson’s portraits represent the composer’s essence while the geometric shapes within the color represent musical structure and form. He draws half of his subject’s face – symbolizing his belief that we can only know a portion of the make up of a musical genius. It is Peterson’s hope that the more viewers get up close and inside the basic physical form of the portrait, they will take interest in how the details make up the whole – much like getting to know a person. For Peterson, it is his way of paying tribute to composers who have changed the world with their music. As public art or as a very special feature for private events, Lennie Peterson’s custom images enhance concerts, music festivals, and cultural settings. |
