Skip to main content

Peter Rotter

Peter Rotter is a well known landscape artist from Lakefield, Ontario. He grew up in Toronto, spending his summers and many weekends at the family cottage on Stoney Lake just a short twenty five minutes north of Lakefield. It is here that Rotter finds true inspiration for painting. “The Kawartha and surrounding areas are my muse”

Rotter says he began painting landscapes at a very young age. As a child he was “obsessed with a book on landscape painters”, and in particular, books about The Group of Seven were of interest to him. “Drawing and painting the north was just something I did growing up.”

His parents were always very supportive of his art, encouraging him with art classes on the weekends and art camps during the summer. “It seemed growing up, I was always the youngest kid with landscape paintings at shows in the Toronto area.”

Rotter studied design at the Ontario College of Art and Design and computer animation at Sheridan College. He went on to work in animation for a few years, and during this time he continued painting landscapes in the evenings and on weekends getting ready for upcoming art shows. “Eventually the painting took over. With my my work becoming popular, I couldn't keep up with demand with a full time Job.  So I had to make a choice.  It was an easy one.  Painting all the way.”

A few years ago, Rotter made the decision to move his family from Toronto to Lakefield. Although he sometimes misses the energy of the big city, Lakefield has always been a source of inspiration for this artist and he has always wanted a studio here - “it just seemed like a natural homecoming.”

As for the paintings, well it all starts with a hike.

Rotter writes, “I am drawn to a particular place by a luminous colour, a certain slant of light, an interesting shape, or shadow, movement of sky, a memory of sound, smell and sense of ease.”  He takes many photos on these hikes which he references for his paintings. He may use images from many photos and incorporate them into one painting. It all begins with a bend and a fold, manipulating the photos to isolate the point of interest. From there, a small sketch is started “looking for good colour and composition”, and if he likes what is developing, it is painted on a larger canvas.

 “I have been known to plein air sketch on occasion, and find I do it more since I moved to Lakefield.” Capturing the landscape while being immersed in it makes the painting real to those that admire the work. These places are familiar, they hold a place in history for them, they capture that moment.

The cover art, Winter Warmth, is a place only a few minutes walking distance from the cottage on Stoney Lake. “It's always been a place in my heart growing up, as that was where I spent countless hours playing and discovering the forest. Close enough my parents wouldn’t worry.  Perhaps it's no accident the sun hits that spot perfectly during that 10 minutes at sunset.”

Peter Rotter’s artwork can be found in collections all over the world; to see more of this artists work go to www.Rotterrotter.com

©Janet Jarrell 2015



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Day I Saw Ty Conn

(This is being recalled from a very young mind...) When my father would begin telling a story from his childhood, he would begin with “When I was a little girl…” which would cause an uproar of high pitched objections from my sisters and myself. He would simply smile and continue on, as he now had our complete attention. I started this post at the beginning of November of this year when thoughts of my father return annually on the anniversary of his birthday. This story, however, is not about my father… When I was a little girl, I lived in a small house on Pine Street with my father, mother and three sisters. Ours was a busy, full house. Lisa was the oldest, very beautiful and very bossy. Pam was next, also very beautiful and we envied her fashion sense. I was the third in the line of my sisters, a middle child that cried a lot, made funny faces and was very comfortable at the centre of attention. My little sister, Joanne, enjoyed the status of being the baby in the family. She wa
16 comments
Read more

John Milton on Freedom of Expression

'Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.' In 1644 at the height of the English Civil War, John Milton penned Areopagitica , which is now known as one of history’s first impassioned defences to freedom of expression. Ironically, Milton never delivered this argument verbally, however there was no need, the message was clear; to allow freedom of speech in written form. John Milton may have been more concerned about religion and less with the politics of war; unfortunately, history has seen these two go hand in hand. Thanks to John Milton, and all who followed and fought for the right to freedom of expression. Thank you to all who exercise this right and provide the poetry, novels and the daily news which combined help to map out our history. On Time By John Milton Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race, Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours, Whose speed is but the heavy plummet's pace; And glut thyself wi
5 comments
Read more

AJ Vandrie “Bringing the Outside In”

His work has been described as a ‘balance between two worlds’.   AJ Vandrie grew up in Northumberland Hills with his adoptive family. His background is composed of Ojiway/Chippewa and Irish heritage. He pursued his art studies at the White Mountain Academy of the Arts in Elliot Lake, a school, located in an isolated area in Northern Ontario, sought to combine First Nations and European approaches to art, which was a great fit for AJ. After his first year of studies, he suffered a personal loss, with the death of his birth father and mother who died within a sort period of time from one another. It was at this time that AJ began exploring the art style that he is known for today.   Widely considered Woodland School of Art, this style is synonymous with the artist Norval Morriseau , whose influence is evident in the works seen here. One can find definite similarities between these two artists; style aside, they are both deeply spiritual, sharing, through their art, pers
1 comment
Read more