His talent for art emerged in his early teens and after leaving school he gained a traineeship as a commercial artist. As part of the traineeship he began studying at the South Australian School of Art where he showed prowess for life drawing.
For the following thirty years Peter made his career as a commercial artist. In 1976, he jointly established a successful graphic design studio which also produced animated television commercials. During this time he experimented with cartooning and kept developing his painting skills.
In 1992 he decided to close the business and focus on fine art. Initially his subjects were landscapes of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula painted in watercolour and oil. After selling many paintings at local art shows, Peter expanded his subjects to include scenes of Glenelg, Brighton and the Adelaide CBD.
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| 'King William Street, Adelaide' oil on canvas, private collection |
Capturing the mood of cities became a major interest and frequent visits to Melbourne resulted in a significant body of work depicting that city. A trip to Europe in 2006 saw Peter complete major paintings of London, Paris, Florence, Rome and Venice.
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| 'Changing of the guard' watercolour on paper, Chaplin family collection |
Always keen to keep experimenting, Peter also painted interiors, music and dance subjects and human interest studies. This experimentation saw a return to expressionist and abstract styles that he had initially explored in the 1970s.
From the late 1990s, Peter participated in numerous exhibitions with fellow artists and was represented by galleries in Adelaide and Melbourne. In 2007, he held a successful solo exhibition. Peter also undertook commissions for private and corporate clients and conducted watercolour workshops for art groups around South Australia.
His many awards included five watercolour prizes at the Victor Harbor Art Show and first prizes at the Flagstaff Hill, Port Pirie and St Peter’s Cathedral art shows.
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| 'The Strand Arcade, Sydney' oil on canvas, private collection |
