Artist Spotlight - Cleon Peterson
CLEON PETERSON – ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
"THE BEAUTY OF CLEON'S WORK IS ALWAYS APPARENT AT FIRST GLANCE"
Cleon Peterson's impact on art & Culture is a long-standing history, but the Los Angeles based artist has shown no intentions of changing the pace. In the past decade his art has been displayed in more than 40 exhibitions, and more recently has collaborated with a flurry of culture's most prominent figures including: Portugal the Man, Swizz Beatz, Huff Apparel, Gitana French Racing team (sailing), among a long list of others.
"ALL OF CLEON'S WORK IS DONE IN 2 OR 3 COLORWAY'S TO DRIVE HOME THE MESSAGE & IMAGERY"
Stark, yet simple color palettes coat fierce symbolism, vibrantly showcased by it's contrast & meticulous design. Clean, elegant & intentional strokes. The Beauty of Cleon's work is always apparent at first glance. But it's often the second glance that garners brow-raising attention when you, the reader, digest and interpret the often violent or politically charged scenes, woven together neatly via iconic recurring imagery & style.
“They have a reaction to my art because in a lot of people’s minds a piece of art is supposed to represent positive human ideals – things that are making the world a better place. And they don’t see difficult subjects as a way to create dialogue or talk about things that are complex, but they see them as: I buy this thing, thus it represents me, and I’m dark.” - Excerpt from an interview with highsnobiety
LEARN MORE ABOUT CLEON
All too often we look for art to be prescriptive, offering a positive model for life values or virtues. Cleon's work is more dystopic, in a way serving as a negative model that’s filled with antagonism, ambivalence & complexity. Work that restimates with audiences on an emotional level.
Cleon's prior pathway through drugs and addiction are no secret, and his backstory certainly invoked influence with his pathway through his artistic journey. Journeys through incarceration, sobriety, fatherhood & more are all milestones that play into his thematic pieces - we fully suggest you delve into his past works & achievements and become a fan of your own.
RECENT WORK
Recently Cleon has been commissioned for work across the globe spanning exhibitions like “Black Dot” A neon collaboration with the ever-talented Lisa Schulte, AKA the “Neon Queen”. (Lisa is a legend in the field whose advised & collaborated recently with a number of my favorite graffiti artists including Cleon, Risk, and Gregory Siff.) Also pictured is a commissioned French Gitana racing team’s sailboat. We catch up with Cleon in our interview below:
