Skip to Content
Art

Cleon Peterson ~ My Favorite Taco

1:54 PM PDT on October 27, 2014

cleonpeterson-lscgallery-001

CLEON PETERSON is an artist living and working in Los Angeles. He has become more prolific in his home base of late, via a stunning gallery show at New Image and a large mural in the Arts District, but his work seems to defy time and place. There is something universal about Peterson's art, and yet no one else is doing anything similar, so it remains unique, and unsullied.

It is perhaps for these reasons that until recently we assumed he was from out of town. Whether people from other cities want to admit it, Los Angeles really is the center of the art world, and having an artist like Cleon here only reinforces that. Ideally he would have several more murals all over the city, bringing his stark and pristine representations of the timelessness of man's inhumanity to every corner of the city.

What brought you to Los Angeles? What keeps you here?
When I was a kid I traveled here from Seattle because LA was the promised land where there was sun and warmth all the time. I still remember seeing my first palm tree and how good that made me feel. Ive stayed because I love the culture, the space and I'm truly a westerner. For some reason the east coast never felt like home, the people are just different there.

large-cleonpeterson-endofdays013
cleon-peterson-1920x1200

What's your favorite hidden corner of L.A.?
I like being up in the Sierra Madre mountains where the weather is cooler and you can see the entire city all the way to the Ocean.

Does your work feature recurring characters? Do they have a backstory?
There characters are archetypal and represent power and submission. I make them non specific so that they live between times and places. They are both current and historic, here and there.

Are you interested in comic books and if so which books/authors do you like?
I like some underground stuff like Robert Crumb, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes and some of the other Zap guys. Mostly like that old stuff.

Cleon-Peterson-at-Katowice-Street-Art-Festival


Photo Credit: Wojtek Nowak Fotografia

We're living in the golden age of _________________.
Big industry and Corrupt Government.

Is there such thing as evil? Is there such thing as "evil art"?
Well evil is a special thing thats hard to really define. You have to be pretty bad to be Evil. I don't know if one can make something that is Evil think its an innately human attribute. Ill have to work on that figure it out. Is there an evil taco?

Do you have a lucky number?
Not really i don't really feel anything towards numbers.

IMG_9902


Photo Credit: OBEY.

Cleon-Peterson-LA-mural-AM-06


Photo Credit: @zagnutz

You have done some amazing murals, how do they fit into your general goals as an artist?
I just like to paint large and subject people to my work. No better way to do that than with a mural.

What's your favorite taco spot in LA?
I like La Cabanita in Montrose.

Visit Cleon Peterson at CleonPeterson.com.

Untitled_CleonPeterson14
cleon_peterson_daybreak_52wx50h-_med_web_010
Cleon-Peterson-7
The-Light-Bearer
large-cleonpeterson-endofdays004
large_cleonpeterson_thebrinksman001
IMG_4044
Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

The Eight Best Punk Bars and Venues in Los Angeles

This may be the last generation of beautifully grimy punk bars and venues in a city that is overdeveloping all of these counterculture community spaces into the post-gentrification abyss. Go and support by buying drinks at all these places to make sure they stick around for the next generation.

September 27, 2023

L.A.’s Best Secret Ecuadorian Restaurant Opens Weekends Only at This Wilshire Blvd. Cafe

On weekends,Cafe Fresco transforms into one of the rare places in the city to find seco de chivo, llapingachao, guatita, and other regional Ecuadorian eats.

September 26, 2023

The Seven Best Poke Places In Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, the poke scene is starting to heal from a bit of a hangover caused by rampant overindulgence. These are the true Hawaiian-inspired, fresh fish spots that endure for good reason. Most, located right by the beach to enjoy L.A.'s crisp ocean breeze with your sashimi-grade fish.

September 25, 2023

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023
See all posts