By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Those who walk through the Alphabet Streets may be familiar with local artist Peter Carr.
Most days, he can be found in his garage studio, with the door open, interacting with passersby.
Now, his first solo show, which features new works from over the past three years, is underway at Cadfab Creative + Art Luxe Los Angeles in Culver City through the start of January 2023.
Carr shared with the Palisadian-Post that he has been making art for as long as he can remember, and that he had thought over the years about approaching the art world professionally. It wasn’t until recently that he decided to dive in.
“After a successful 28-year career in commercial real estate representing major corporations, Peter retired at the end of 2017 to pursue his lifelong passion for making art,” according to the artist’s bio. “Since becoming an artist full-time, he has been featured in several group shows at Bergamot Station, and he recently showcased an outdoor art installation at Desert Hearts Festival.”
In 2013, he explained, he had to go through “major operations,” including a hip replacement, which “went bad” and led to infection, leaving him “at a really critical time” without the use of his hip.
“I was getting intravenous fed antibiotic infusion to get rid of the infection inside the prosthetic before they could put a new one back in,” he recalled.
After a visit to the emergency room, Carr also faced an allergic reaction, which led to him being put on steroids.
“I didn’t sleep for two weeks straight,” he shared, adding that he was averaging five to 15 minutes of sleep per night, which had him “painting all night long.”
Eventually, Carr said he fell asleep and didn’t wake up for almost 24 hours. And when he did wake up—he started painting differently.
“It was the weirdest thing,” he shared. “All of a sudden, I was just doodling like I did as a kid. I went from doing landscapes to just these geometric doodle drawings, and I’ve expanded from there ever since.”
Carr, who also goes by the name “Futuredog Surf,” shared that he draws inspiration for his work from a variety of avenues, including his love of science, mathematics, music, poetry, spirituality, surfing and nature. His art has also been “profoundly influenced” by his early youth in Hawaii, as well as his adolescent and teenage years in Carmel during the 1970s, and his college and post-college years in Los Angeles during the grunge era of the 1980s.
He shared that he always wanted to be an architect, but he didn’t go to architecture school—he went to UCLA to study economics—but architecture has had a big influence on his work.
“Peter’s use of geometry and subtle neutral tones soothes the eye, and every piece connects together in one way or another,” Palisadian artist Guerin Swing shared in the bio. “A true talent.”
The work of Carr favors bold colors, with works crafted in oil, pastel, gouache and watercolor. He creates his structures, surfaces and frames in his garage studio, which is located near Los Angeles Fire Department Station 69’s back entrance.
His style of repeating subject matter and forms has been described as “geometric abstract” or, as Carr called it, “Fractal Wavalism”—“the product of a cluttered mind drifting off into an alternative universe of dimension, where the creator is infinite and color, light and contrast boldly explode.”
“I’m doing it full-time and I’m just enjoying life like never before,” Carr said about his art. “Every day, I’ve got this sense of urgency.”
Carr and his wife, Sara, have resided in the Alphabet Streets since the late 1990s. Their children—Laura, Charles and John—attended area public schools. Carr coached youth sports programs at Palisades Recreation Center, AYSO and Palisades Pony Baseball Association, and he was involved with Scout Troop 223.
The exhibition, which includes 39 pieces, will remain on display through January 3, 2023. Carr shared that an opening reception earlier this month was “terrific,” with many Palisadians present.
There will be a closing reception on December 29 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The gallery is located at 6023 Washington Boulevard—in the “heart of the Culver City Arts District.”
For more information, visit petercarr.art.
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