Gary Petersen lives in New York and received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts. He was recently awarded a studio at The Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation in Brooklyn.
When did your interest in art begin? Hard to remember how old I was, probably middle school. Never had art in school, not even High School. First exposure to it was through my Father. He was a “Sunday” painter and had all these “How To” books around the house that he painted from. You know, “How To Paint A Portrait” & “How To Paint Landscapes” etc. That was where I got my first exposure to art.
What artists are you interested in right now? Karl Benjamin, Tomma Abts, Thomas Scheibitz, Matt Connors, Emma Kunz, Myron Stout, Andrew Spence, and Mary Heilmann to name a few.
What was the last exhibition you saw that stuck out to you? Charline Von Heyl at Petzel Gallery here in New York.
Any current or upcoming shows we should know about? Coming up this Spring are several group shows: “Paper A-Z” at Sue Scott Gallery on the Lower Eastside in NYC; “The Working Title” at The Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY; “Open Studios” (April 15-17) here at The Marie Walsh Sharpe Studio Program, Brooklyn; and “Wallworks” at The Painting Center, curated by Stephan Maine, Chelsea, NY.
If you hadn’t become an artist, what do you think you’d be? Cell biologist. I studied Biology as an undergraduate and thought I was interested in veterinary medicine when I was younger. By my senior year, though, I was very interested in cell anatomy and biology. If the very strong interest in art hadn’t happened maybe I would be in a Biological lab somewhere.
What are you really excited about right now? Really excited about the work I am doing at the Sharpe Foundation. This residency has been a great experience for me and my work.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why? The list is very long, I love to see wildlife and remote places. If only one choice then I would choose Antarctica. I am just attracted to remote places. I would find beauty in the landscape and it’s vast wilderness/remoteness.
What’s your absolute favorite place in the city to be? In New York City I love being at Rockaway beach in Queens.
What were you like in high school? Very shy.
