I've been a commercial artist for over thirty years, doing murals, illustrations and fine art signs, but have never lost my love for science fiction or airbrushing. I love the gadgets, monsters, and alternative realities—regular life doesn't appeal to me as much as fantasy. I prefer an old world Renaissance look mixed in with a Norman Rockwell sensibility—it fits into my tweaked view of the universe—to make the strange normal and the normal strange, the small big and the big small. All should be rendered with clarity, humor, and compassion.

The sword and muscle stuff turns me off—I want to find more nuanced and personal moments in future worlds. I realize violence is dramatic, but I'm going for something more sophisticated. Even though I love pulp art for its energy and fearlessness, I prefer the visions of Bear, Clarke, Silverberg, Varley, and others—whose ideas are more adult.

My straight assignments over the years have honed my technical skills and I'm grateful for that (having painted commissions for Disney, Atari, Silicon Graphics, Buck Owens Productions, and others) but I yearn for more sci-fi assignments. Currently I'm looking forward to doing a sci-fi mural for Borderlands Books in San Francisco.

You can see more of my work at www.clownbank.com.

Tour Peter's work, piece by piece.

View thumbnails of Peter's work.