“School’s Out” by Peter Justl – Image: PeterJustl.com
Today I visited the 2012 OPA National Exhibition Associate / Signature Division page on Facebook. I felt like I hit thejackpot! The most magnificent art, you must check it out! Facebook is a fantastic tool for finding artists that you haven’t heard of before. With each and every find I am amazed. This time I am blown away. I love the composition of “School’s Out”. The dark background and the light sunlit mane make for one heck of a combination. Breathtaking! I went to Peter’s website and I’m telling you this man can paint anything. I highly encourage you to check it out. The way he portrays horses is especially appealing to me. I love horses, yet I am not a true “horse person”… that’s my husband. He showed horses on a National level for quite some time. I saw the amount of work it took to get to the top. He didn’t drop his horse off with a trainer, he WAS the trainer. You don’t typically see any of the riders at a national level be the owner and the trainer. It’s a different world. Remember the TV show Dynasty? Being at those horse shows is like being on the set of Dynasty. Everything is over the top. I can’t remember all the different stars that had horses that either they showed or a member of their family, one was Patrick Swayze, I remember him because I didn’t actually see him, but kept my eye out for him… and another I ran smack into. I saw this rather tall man in front of me, and I whispered to Fred that he looked like Elvis… while I was whispering in Fred’s ear, the man stopped… of course I plowed right into him full speed and thought I was going to be taken down by his body guards. Too funny. Apparently I looked rather harmless… it was Wayne Newton (HOW did I get off on such a long schpeal?), very nice man. My long winded point is that I saw the hard work, the number of hours of riding and the careful way Fred trained that horse. I so admired the beauty of those horses. It was just breathtaking. And to see someone capture it in a way that Peter did makes you step back and say WHOA! Brilliant. Not much more to say…!
“Running with the Wind” by Peter Justl – Image: PeterJustl.com
You must check out Peter’s website. “Running with the Wind” is in the section entitled “Spirit Therapies Paintings” and they are unbelievable. The story of Honey Bear will leave a lump in your throat. Here is the description of “Running in the Wind” from Peter’s website… check his site for more!
I did and donated this painting for Spirit Therapies, a non-profit therapeutic riding center in Las Vegas that positively impacts the lives of physically and mentally challenged individuals through connecting with trained therapy horses, certified instructors, and compassionate volunteers.
Oliver seemed to be one with the wind as he moved proudly around the riding ring. Do horses know how beautiful they are? I am confident that Oliver was well aware of his own fluid grace and gorgeous good looks as he put on quite a show for me. Breathtaking!
YES, Peter! Breathtaking indeed! I can’t imagine the number of people who have benefitted from your kindness…
Here’s a blip about the artist from his website!
BIOGRAPHY
Peter Justl was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, immigrated when he was a young boy with his parents to Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, and ten years later once again immigrated to Harlingen, Texas, United States.
After attending college in Houston, Texas, Peter began a distinguished career in architecture during which time he was involved in the design, development, and management of numerous high-end, high-profile projects.
Drawing upon his years of experience as a gifted architectural illustrator, Peter began to paint commissioned works for private clients in the 1990s. Although Peter’s work reflects his knowledge and appreciation of architecture which often serves as the subject or setting of his paintings, it is his understanding of the complementary qualities of composition, balance, and light that stimulate and energize his paintings in a variety of subject matters and themes.
Peter’s painting “Behind the Scenes” was selected as Best of Show for the 2010 Las Vegas Art Competition. He is a member of Oil Painters of America to which his painting “We’d become Old and Fragile, Irrelevant, Still Beautiful” was selected to the 2011, Twentieth Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and the following year his painting “Beauty” was selected to the 2012, Twenty-first Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils in Evergreen, Colorado.
Peter currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife Barbara, greyhound dogs Tiffany and Toulouse, and cats Gigi and Maurice.
He has two sons, Christopher and Nicholas. Christopher and his wife Catherine reside in Seattle, Washington. Nicholas resides in Houston, Texas.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
After a rewarding career as an architect and illustrator for the design, presentation, and management of numerous high-profile projects throughout the world, I decided to pursue my life-long dream of a career as a full-time artist.
Beginning in the 1990s, I began to paint commissioned works for private clients, first in watercolor and then later moving to oils. I felt more comfortable initially painting landscapes and cityscapes because I was able to draw upon my many years of experience as an architectural illustrator. But my interests soon expanded to include urban scenes, seascapes, still life, portraits, and animals. I enjoy painting each and have found that all paintings share the common components and elements of light, color, composition, technique, and emotion in order to be considered, at least by myself, to be interesting and successful. I believe that realistic painting, done well, can satisfy both the modernist and the traditionalist, but I detest the saccharine qualities so often found in the genre. I’m interested in creating art that provokes profound feelings, thought and endless joy.
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