Key West The Newspaper

KEPart Studio/Gallery will open to the public with a debut celebration Friday, February 27, 6-9 p.m., at 534 Fleming Street (the old Eye Eye Eye location). KEPart was conceived to showcase the vibrant and richly toned works of Key West master watercolorist Kevin E. Peterson – a painter whose works have been described as “dancing with movement.”

And dance they do. Whether a breathtaking male figure, a classic Key West rooster, or a snowy white egret, his creations appear to shimmer with the effect of light refracting off of water.

Peterson began his college career on a track to becoming a veterinary doctor, but “life took a twist” and he emerged from his formal education with a BFA in painting.

A 1990’s Key West stint during which the artist created outrageous visual-merchandising art for the windows of famed emporium Fast Buck Freddie’s was followed by a stint off the rock and in the corporate world, where he was renowned for, among other attributes, his mastery of the single sardonically raised eyebrow, reminiscent of screen legend Robert Mitchum.

Five years ago Peterson and husband Jeff Beck, partners of 25 years, returned to Key West. “I made a goal in college to have a gallery before I was 35,” Peterson said, “not knowing I’d end up in the corporate world for 15 years! I turned 50 this year – so I guess I’m back on track.”

“He literally paints his own unique life-force energy into his works,” commented Stone Soup gallery owner Melissa Doucette-Trader, whose gallery was the first in the Florida Keys to represent Peterson and his works.

“It’s really his soul that is visible in his sunsets with their incredible shades of orange, red and yellow; his rich teals and blues; the expressive corals and pinks,” she said.

Peterson’s spiritual nature is reflected in his logo and throughout his art in the form of birds. “Why a bird? Quite a few years ago while traveling by car in terrible weather – sweaty palms, almost no visibility – a Great White Egret flew right in front of my windshield and I knew at that very moment I would be ok, because my guardian angels were with me, guiding me to safety. As the years have passed, birds always seem to show up when I need reassurance. I know that they are a sign of serenity, of inner peace,” Peterson said.

In the past four years, Peterson’s paintings of Key West’s flora and fauna, along with his male figurative paintings, have been featured in both national and international publications, including a cover for edition 12 of international art magazine, ‘Art of Man.’ Peterson is also represented by the Lyman Eyer Gallery in Provincetown, MA, and by Art Frenzie Gallery in Wilton Manors, Florida.

Peterson, also a passionate gardener, paints “wet,” a style that he has mastered in which layers of wet paint are applied over previous layers of wet paint.

Guests attending the February 27 KEPart Studio/Gallery opening will enjoy fine wines and hors d’oeuvre’s along with the artists’ fine art.

In addition to his works on watercolor paper, Peterson will be offering smaller-scale one-of-a-kind pieces on ceramic tile painted with porcelain paint and some smaller, inexpensive gift items like puzzles and coffee cups.

Plans for the future include showcasing the work of other artists, including photographers and sculptors. Peterson is also a popular commissioned artist of humans and pets, offering a limited number of portraits a year. For more information on the artist, the gallery and the opening, visit kepart.com.