Opening: Peter Krusko

Opening reception: Thursday, September 14, from 4:30-6:30 pm
On view: September 14–October 12, 2023

The Karen Wray Gallery welcomes the community to the opening reception for Peter Krusko’s Solo Art Exhibition.

Before moving to Santa Fe nineteen years ago, Peter Krusko enjoyed a wonderful thirty-three-year teaching career in Westchester, NY.  He was born in Yonkers, NY and received his Bachelor of Fine Art and Master of Fine Art degrees from Pratt Institute in New York City. When teaching and creating his own work, his focus has always been on the creative process. He said, “If the process is true, the work will be good.” One of the important parts of the creative process is sharing your work with the public. “You have to exhibit your work,” he explained, “The exhibition is the end of the creative process.”

Since moving to the Southwest, a lot has changed with his work, especially the compositions and the colors. “I’ve worked hard to capture the scale of the Western landscape. The expansiveness. Back in New York things were much more compressed.” What sets him apart is that when he goes out, he is painting his emotions that day. It’s not just what the landscape looks like, but how he reacts to the landscape.  “This is my expression,” he explained. “It’s my language. I respond to what’s going on and this is how I express my emotions.” He is very immersed in the creative process. He said, “If the process is true, the work will be good.” He tries to break them free of that mindset by reminding them to enjoy the process.