Adams Avenue Liquor

"Adams Avenue Liquor" 12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas.

I have always been impressed by the Ashcan painters, as well as other artists of their circle and influence. John Sloan, George Bellows, Rockwell Kent, Reginald Marsh, and of course Hopper. From a technical point of view, I especially enjoy the gritty color and vigorous brushwork. Depicting figures in a landscape is an exciting challenge to me, and I'm interested to look at how they pull it off. And they did some great night paintings, nocturnes have always fascinated me. They are a challenge to paint. And there's a mood that a night-time urban scene evokes for me... something nefarious. Psychologically, the shadow persona sometimes emerges after dark.

The Fall

"The Fall" oil on canvas, 36 x 54 inches. I started this large piece nearly two years ago, and I posted preliminary drawings here. Meanwhile, I've finished several other paintings, while I picked away at this one as a long-term project. When I initially came up with my idea for "The Fall", I wanted to include two figures in a landscape, and I had been looking at a lot of Rennaissance painting.

I actually enjoyed painting all the leaves both on the bush and the ground. The underlying theme of the piece is in part about leaving civilization and going off into nature... somewhat of a departure for me, because I'm mostly known for my urban landscapes. But painting the figure has an organic quality to it, and studying nature has been rewarding to me.

The snake on the ground is supposed to be somewhat hidden from the viewer, as it is un-noticed by the couple in the painting as well.

LONDON HOTEL ROOM and California Art Club Newsletter article: An Interview With Tony Peters on Edward Hopper

This new painting is called "London Hotel Room", 11 x 16 inches, oil on canvas. A couple of years ago, my wife Holly and I went to Europe, I did this painting from a snapshot taken of her in our room... we were jet-lagged on the first morning and woke up a little too early, plus we were excited to see the National Gallery.

This is the first time that I've included Holly in one of my paintings (although I have tried to paint her before). She's a nervous model, so I had to catch her by surprise when I snapped the pic.

Also, I have an article in the California Art Club's newsletter for summer, 2009. It's called ... "The Artist As Critic, Art That Inspires" and it's titled "An Interview With Tony Peters on Edward Hopper". Written by Miriam Noske, I'm really proud of how it turned out. It is an articulate dialogue about my award winning self-portrait "Looking Inward", comparing it to an Edward Hopper painting called "Office In a Small City". You can read all three pages on my website... http://www.tonypetersart.com/enlarge/ca/1/