Ongoing
Existing at the implausible intersection of such genres as sci-fi and still life, landscape and LSD trips, the 20 or so prints at Burnet Gallery project a world of infinite visual possibilities, one with color in its veins and a detailed script. Peterson, a Minnesota native, creates futuristic, otherworldly spaces that have little regard for the dictates of fore-, mid- and background, and yet are compositionally airtight. For viewers, it's a perceptual test to navigate these shape-shifting spaces, clinging happily to certain graphic details that provide minimal reference points. An unconventional colorist, Peterson often employs one-off colors reminiscent of 1950s Italian ceramics. The magenta of "Precipice" shouldn't work, but it does, unapologetically. Some compositional elements recall Duchamp's infamous "Chocolate Grinder" or "Large Glass," such as "Grappa," pictured here. Other inspiration is gleaned from Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Most elegant is his large-scale "Silver Guard Against a Deep Blue," which depicts a colossal structure that's part "2001" spaceship and part Emerald City and seems to exist both above and below a horizon (water?) line. Peterson's prints are not for shy eyes.
