Lamar Peterson makes paintings and drawings that prioritize people relaxing and gardening in bucolic outdoor settings. Lamar talks about inheriting his father’s oil painting set, cartoons and coloring books as important early artistic inputs, Mr. T and Black masculinity, gardens as safe and utopic spaces, using a collection of image references and family photos to create the proxy figures in his work, appreciating the humor in everyday moments, the resilience and support within the Minneapolis arts community, watching films while he paints, helping students see the possibilities within art, and engaging with nature as a means of self-care.

View Lamar’s work HERE