Florida Artist Pettegrew Premieres Film With Gallery Show In St Petersburg

St Petersburg Fl — Feb 18 2010

Peter Pettegrew, regional power-house landscape painter makes a rare appearance in the Tampa Bay area at Interior Motives Gallery on Central Ave in St Petersburg.

The gallery will be premiering Peter’s latest documentary film “Heart of a Landscape Painter”, produced by Florida production company Wind Dog Films.

The film premiere will be held at Interior Motives Gallery in St Petersburg Thursday February 25th. There will be two screenings, with Pettegrew on hand for both, one at 6:30pm and the other at 7:30pm.(32 mins.) The artist reception and opening Friday, February 26th 6:30pm to 9:30pm. One man show continues through March 22nd.

Given Peter’s 6 previous museum shows and 30 year painting career, it is natural that St Petersburg Gallery owner Leslie Curran wants to bring this masterful painter’s work to her gallery.

Peter Pettegrew has devoted his life to capturing the timeless beauty of the natural landscape. His plein air work with charcoal and paint has become a legendary example of many studies and painting groups.The landscape has always been the beloved subject for Pettegrew’s passionate creations. A naturalist and outdoors man he explores wilderness areas in Florida and many of his painting are from National and State Preserves. He draws his inspiration from his diverse travels. In the last few years he has been to France, the Caribbean, Montana and California to capture his subjects. Most often he is painting in the Southeastern United States.

Peter Pettegrew lived in Tampa Bay area in the 80’s. His home and studio are now in the Orlando area.

Peter’s collectors include local personalities including Kelly Craig and Bob Hite (newscasters) and many national personalities, including John Travolta (actor) and Dan Quayle (Vice President) . His municipal collections & fund raising events include the City of St.Petersburg, City of Tampa, City of Orlando, City of Charleston, Naples Winter Wine Festival, National Parks Foundation, Conservancy of Southwest FL, Sierra Club, Beaufort Open Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity, and memberships that include the American Society of Classical Realists, National Watercolor Society (N.W.S.) and the Oil Painters of America (O.P.A.)

Leslie Curran has been a part of the home design business for over 20 years. Her gallery, Interior Motives, is celebrating its fifth year at 1110 Central Ave, downtown St Pete. She is a St. Petersburg native and is currently a St. Petersburg council person.

Interior Motives Gallery 1110 Central Ave St Petersburg Fl interiormotivesstpete.com

727 898-6061

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Jim,  I am happy to report that my dealer in London has given me an order for 68 pieces, twenty of which are on canvas, all of Jazz Musicians, Singers and Dancers… I have ten done and shipped… this is one of the canvses a 30×40 which was most admired by my friends.. I imagine that they are playing Dixieland Jazz!  Next June I have a show in London; so not only do I have this order to fill, but an opportunity to create new work for a One Person exhibition… My last show in London was canceled because of 9/11.

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.

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