Jeannie Griffin Peterka is an abstract painter based in the Northeastern United States. Her passion for art began during her freshman year at Southern Methodist University, where she majored in art. Despite being unable to find a teacher to guide her into pure abstraction, Jeannie continued to paint and take private classes until she met Zanne Hochberg, who later became her mentor and teacher.
Jeannie is inspired by several art heroes, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Morris Louis, Per Kirkeby, and Chuck Close. Her process begins with no specific vision in mind, except for perhaps the colors she might like to use that day. She starts by putting color on the canvas, drawing with charcoal or paint, adding layers of paint, and soon something begins to emerge. Jeannie turns the canvas constantly so that it’s working from all directions.
Currently, she works with multiple panels and joins them together in the back. She likes seeing the energy between the panels and the sharp line made by joining them. Jeannie enjoys the excitement of seeing one or more freshly stretched canvases hanging on her studio wall and wondering what the final painting will look like.
Jeannie’s work has grown larger and often requires assembly, which is why she primarily exhibits in the Northeast. She is also an art educator and has taken on students from time to time, enjoying the opportunity to pass on what she has learned through the years.
