Peter Opheim
Peter Opheim is American-based artist, who was born in Germany. He is currently working in New York. He studied Oriental studies and Economics at St. Olaf College, dreaming about becoming an artist. Opheim began his way in the art sphere as an abstractionist, but later he moved away from this direction. He wanted to create something unique, unusual and provocative - and so a series of works depicting the incredible clay figures was born.
He creates a new fantasy world, populated by characters who never exist in reality. However, his paintings have a real referent: colorful clay figurines, manufactured by the artist. He paint either their portraits or still life. Cute little animals of irregular shape refer to the world of childhood, which is the main object of artistic reflection. Childish fears rooted in deformed body parts, in unnatural colors, as an archetypal fear hides behind the innocence of the plot in fairy tales.
Peter held a number of personal national and international exhibitions and received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Several of his artworks are in the collections of New York and South Korean museums; others have become the property of private collections such as Hallmark, Northwest Airlines, and the Venetian Hotel collection in Las Vegas.
