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.
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.
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.
Photo Credit: OBEY.
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.
