Since I moved to New York twelve years ago, I have generated TONS of work on paper. For those of you familiar with my energy level and personality, this should be no surprise. In these paintings and drawings I explore new ideas and develop themes that I’m already working through elsewhere in my studio. Sometimes, they are simply a way of staying agile by indulging in the pleasure of color, line, and composition. Many of these works end up in the trash or accumulating dusty footprints the studio floor, but others have been part of gallery shows. Most of them—unfortunately— have never see the light of day, and this is the part of my practice that I’ve decided to address.
Just after the new year, I went through my portfolios and pulled out some of the ones that still speak to me. Several of these date back to my time in graduate school while others are from the past few years. The studies of curving agave leaves arose from the many hours I spent in the backyard of our Air BNB during the depths of COVID as we quarantined in Los Angeles. Another plant series documents my infatuation with a spunky Euphorbia plant which was sadly killed when the heat went out in my studio during a frigid February night. Several of these works demonstrate my fixation with touchscreens and computer advertising. These are made on top of inkjet prints with thick brushstrokes encapsulating snippets spreadsheets and the glow of the screen. Taken together, these studies provide the foundation for the work that I’m making in my studio today.
- Peter
If you would like to purchase a work on paper, email me at petersbrock@gmail.com with the inventory # of the work you like and I'll send back a picture to confirm your choice.
