Artist Interview: Brooke Peterson, Brooke J Art

I was introduced to Brooke Peterson’s art about a year ago. She’s based out of Glidden, IA, and her studio name is Brooke J Art. She describes her artwork as “a little all over the place right now.” I’d describe her artwork as representational paintings – sometimes in acrylic, sometimes in watercolor, but always with a recognizable subject and often with a bit of whimsy thrown in! Her subjects range from animals to landscapes, vehicles, flowers, and sometimes she adds a pun (which makes me instantly fond of them, because I’m a huge fan of cheesy jokes!) “Art is a way to express what you feel when there are no words,” she told me. “I love how art can bring people of all walks of life together and I enjoy observing how people react differently to a piece.”

She really captured the feel of an old photograph in this piece!

“I enjoy painting in great detail with acrylic paint and I also enjoy decompressing in between complex pieces with some fun splashy watercolor projects,” said Peterson. “I really focus on light and the finest details with my acrylic paintings which take me quite a while to get just right. I usually find that once I have reached the point where I paint over an area and regret it because it was better the first time, then I am done and need to walk away. (Now to just figure that out first before painting over would be ideal!)” This is so relatable as an artist – I always say that I ruin each of my paintings at least once (sometimes multiple times) and just have to “work past the ruination.” But Peterson also paints with a fun, splashy style of watercolors, and she uses those pieces as a way to loosen up between her more intense, layered acrylic work.

I love every single one of these so much!

One artist that she has admired for many years is Andrew Wyeth, an American realist painter. “I even painted Christina’s World in high school. I could look at his paintings all day,” said Peterson. “I enjoy his use of muted colors, the facial expressions of his portrait paintings (especially his Helga paintings, and how his paintings make you wonder. I often look at them and wonder why the trees were usually bare of leaves or dead and uprooted, what his subjects were looking at in the distance or why they appear sad, or how he accomplished so much feeling with such a muted color palette.”

Peterson didn’t go to college for art, instead focusing on business, which is still quite useful for artists. Right now she’s working on several acrylic projects. “I’ve participated in many art shows and vendor/craft shows in the last year,” she said. “I’d like to focus more on art specific shows in the coming year. I’d also really like to do more human figure studies and practice portrait painting.”
  

"The Things I've Seen", Acrylic

I asked Peterson if she has a favorite piece (of her own artwork), and she said she actually has two: “The first is an acrylic painting of my daughter that I painted through the pandemic to try and keep my sanity during the times of uncertainty. This piece is really what pushed me to start sharing more of my work and to keep pursuing my passion. My other favorite piece is Dorothy,” Peterson added. 2022 was her first time submitting artwork to the Iowa State Fair and Dorothy ended up placing 3rd in the Acrylic/Tempera category. “It was a fun experience to go to the fair with my family and find my painting on display with so many other talented artists’ paintings. Dorothy also helped me win Best of Show Emerging Artist at Art on the Square in Oskaloosa this year.” Congratulations!!
 

"Splashy Dancer", Watercolor

I love asking the artists that I interview what their favorite tool for making art is, because the answers are like fingerprints: unique to each person. Peterson said hers are a makeup brush and a straw! “My favorite tool for my acrylic paintings is actually a makeup brush. It’s my favorite tool to blend with. For my watercolor paintings, my favorite tool is a straw. I use a straw to make my splashy, messy, fun watercolors paintings.”

What’s an issue or stumbling block you’ve encountered? “A lack of time is what I struggle with most. I’m incredibly thankful for all of my commission requests in my first year of taking this on as a side business but that comes with many time-management struggles. I work a full-time job, have A LOT of hobbies, and have very active kids so the lack of time is a big stressor for me,” Peterson admitted. “The lack of time is also another reason why I haven’t created a website yet. I find that trying to stay relevant on multiple different social media platforms is hard enough so finding time to create a website and keep that up-to-date sounds like a nightmare right now. Hopefully, I’ll try again to overcome that frustration soon and get my website up and running, though.”
 

"Moose", Acrylic

Her advice to artists just starting out is excellent for all artists. “Accept the compliments and brush off the criticism! There have been people that have walked by my booth and shower my work in compliments, and there have been others that criticize my prices and state that they can make the same thing at home.” And what artist doesn’t LOVE to hear that? It’s about as welcome as the “my kid could do that” one. Peterson’s response is full of grace, however: “I usually tell them, ‘you probably can. I would even be happy to teach you, because at the end of the day we usually just want to see others succeed and if creating brings you joy then I can relate.’” *Insert cheering and fist-pumping here!* Last year I wrote a post about why art is so expensive, with a breakdown of many of the costs of selling art. It can be eye-opening to non-creatives, who don’t understand the process of making art.
 

"Isabella", Acrylic

“I still struggle with this to this day, but make sure that you understand that your time is valuable. Do not sell yourself and your abilities short by underpricing your work. As your talents grow with practice and experience, your prices should grow also. Those that understand that they are not only purchasing this piece, but a portion of all the other pieces that you have worked on prior to this point, will ultimately pay what you are asking.” YES, a thousand times YES! It’s so hard to know your worth as an artist, especially when starting out or when struggling with imposter syndrome (guilty). I believe that the people who really understand and connect with your art will value it as much as you do.

If you’d like to learn more or purchase some of Peterson’s artwork, you can follow her on social media! She has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. She’s also open for commission work as well!