Artists Corner: Peter Stilton

Stop by the Carrollwood Cultural Center at 4537 Lowell Road, and one thing is clear: local artists are making their mark in Tampa Bay.

One of those artists is Peter Stilton, who recently won first place in the Center's Winter Wonderful show.

For this installment of we talked to Stilton about how he got started as an artist and what his influences are.

Patch: How did you get started doing artwork?

Stilton: My parents probably put a brush in my hand instead of a pacifier. That’s how early it started. I painted Modigliani nudes in high school to shock my mother’s guests. I sold my first painting in a museum show in high school.  I lived in museums, and read classic plays and novels and painted constantly.

Patch: What, or who, are some of your artistic influences?

Stilton: I thought my dad’s paintings were something I should do. He, as well as his professors of art at Alfred University, “tutored” me from my earliest recollections, showing  me Picasso, Braque, Hans Hoffman, and other modern artists. Later, as an art history and humanities professor, I fell in love with Fragonard, the rococo genius who did impressionism 50 years before the impressionists. I admired and incorporate into my own work the kinetic record of the artist working, as in Rembrandt, Rubens, Rothko, and Frans Kline.

Patch: What misconceptions do you think people have about artists?

Stilton: I think the greatest misconception is that artists only deal with images of physical experience, when in fact many of us are mathematically, scientifically, poetically, and spiritually oriented, seeking a deeper and more profound reality. Also, they think purchasing art  should be either a bargain hunt, or a big time investment in known names.

Patch: What dreams or goals do you have for yourself as an artist?

Stilton: Some have been accomplished already.  I have had successful exhibitions in Paris, sold hundreds of my paintings with prices reaching up to $8,000, and have had the freedom to paint what I enjoy.

At present, I have been working on paintings for a book I am writing and illustrating about two antique Rolls Royces (based on the ones I own) who journey through time in Europe. I would very much like to publish work for a greater audience, especially children.

Patch: How can people see your work or purchase it?

Stilton: A wide selection is on view at my website, www.peterstilton.com or www.stiltonstudio.com. The studio in Tampa is open to visitors by appointment  by calling 813-963-1141.