Charles Peterson
(April 5, 1927 – June 2, 2022), also known as Chick Peterson, was an American artist known for watercolor paintings and for maritime artwork. He was also known for painting ghosts that are not in watercolor but were placed within watercolor paintings.Used by permission
“The realization that someone would actually pay money for this stuff was a kind of revelation to me.”
Peterson graduated from Elgin High School in 1945[7] He then served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, and then attended the American Academy of Art College in Chicago and Marietta College in Ohio. After serving in the Navy, Peterson was a professor at Concord University in West Virginia and also was a faculty member at Marietta College.
Influenced by a lifelong interest in nature, and particularly the sea, he devoted his classically trained skills to genre painting and painting the lives of ordinary people doing ordinary things, commonly in historic settings.
In 1973 Peterson moved his family to Ephraim, Wisconsin. As a full-time painter, he soon established a national (and eventually international) reputation.
He also enjoyed a parallel career in the signed, limited edition print field, producing over 130 pieces since 1979. From 1992 onward, associated with the White Door Publishing Company, he was listed by the U.S. Art Magazine as being among The Top Ten Most Popular in the nation’s print industry. White Door Publishing also published two books of his work: “Of Time and Place” which won the Printing Industries of America, Inc. “Best of Category for 1997” award, and “Reflections” in 1999.
“The realization that someone would actually pay money for this stuff was a kind of revelation to me.”
There’s more to know about Charles Peterson.…
With his studio overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan, much of Charles Peterson’s art reflects his love for sailing and the sea. Paintings of the great sailing ships and wonderful seascapes have long provided Peterson with both financial and professional success. Peterson’s work has also been featured in the most prestigious galleries in the country and in juried shows of international significance.
But if Peterson’s marine paintings have brought professional prestige and recognition, it is his unique “memories” paintings that have brought national popularity. Painted with the same personal interest, Peterson’s “Memories Collection” of limited-edition prints combines the elements of an old, forgotten site with the very subtle reflection of the special times that are still real for those who remember. The Memories Collection strikes a chord in all of us who have fond memories of simpler times.
In his second book, Reflections, there is a large section about his life as he was growing up. Here are passages from the book.
Many of the sailors were interested in my drawings. It wasn’t unusual for one of them to ask for a specific subject as a favor. I remember one fellow, especially enamored with what I was doing, who really wanted a drawing of our ship. I was pleased to sketch it for him so his loved ones could better visualize where he was.
I later learned that he sold it for twenty dollars. I should have been more upset than I was, but the realization that someone would actually pay money for this stuff was a kind of revelation to me.
As kids, when we were headed for each other’s houses, we had to pick our way, often at high speed, through hedges and around garden patches which dominated practically every back yard in the neighborhood. These gardens wasted very little time or space on flowers (though I do remember Mother’s hollyhocks), but went about the practical business of feeding the family during the depression. “Home Grown” settles on a family group harvesting ripe vegetables, but taking time to sniff the flowers, too.
Many of Peterson’s paintings reflect his childhood memories and his family life.
Peterson graduated from Elgin High School in 1945[7] He then served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, and then attended the American Academy of Art College in Chicago and Marietta College in Ohio. After serving in the Navy, Peterson was a professor at Concord University in West Virginia and also was a faculty member at Marietta College.
Influenced by a lifelong interest in nature, and particularly the sea, he devoted his classically trained skills to genre painting and painting the lives of ordinary people doing ordinary things, commonly in historic settings.
In 1973 Peterson moved his family to Ephraim, Wisconsin. As a full-time painter, he soon established a national (and eventually international) reputation.
He also enjoyed a parallel career in the signed, limited edition print field, producing over 130 pieces since 1979. From 1992 onward, associated with the White Door Publishing Company, he was listed by the U.S. Art Magazine as being among The Top Ten Most Popular in the nation’s print industry. White Door Publishing also published two books of his work: “Of Time and Place” which won the Printing Industries of America, Inc. “Best of Category for 1997” award, and “Reflections” in 1999.
“The realization that someone would actually pay money for this stuff was a kind of revelation to me.”
There’s more to know about Charles Peterson.…
With his studio overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan, much of Charles Peterson’s art reflects his love for sailing and the sea. Paintings of the great sailing ships and wonderful seascapes have long provided Peterson with both financial and professional success. Peterson’s work has also been featured in the most prestigious galleries in the country and in juried shows of international significance.
But if Peterson’s marine paintings have brought professional prestige and recognition, it is his unique “memories” paintings that have brought national popularity. Painted with the same personal interest, Peterson’s “Memories Collection” of limited-edition prints combines the elements of an old, forgotten site with the very subtle reflection of the special times that are still real for those who remember. The Memories Collection strikes a chord in all of us who have fond memories of simpler times.
In his second book, Reflections, there is a large section about his life as he was growing up. Here are passages from the book.
Many of the sailors were interested in my drawings. It wasn’t unusual for one of them to ask for a specific subject as a favor. I remember one fellow, especially enamored with what I was doing, who really wanted a drawing of our ship. I was pleased to sketch it for him so his loved ones could better visualize where he was.
I later learned that he sold it for twenty dollars. I should have been more upset than I was, but the realization that someone would actually pay money for this stuff was a kind of revelation to me.
As kids, when we were headed for each other’s houses, we had to pick our way, often at high speed, through hedges and around garden patches which dominated practically every back yard in the neighborhood. These gardens wasted very little time or space on flowers (though I do remember Mother’s hollyhocks), but went about the practical business of feeding the family during the depression. “Home Grown” settles on a family group harvesting ripe vegetables, but taking time to sniff the flowers, too.
Many of Peterson’s paintings reflect his childhood memories and his family life.