Biography
Born in Teaneck, NJ, Peter Fiore has been inspired by light ever since he was a child. “Light is the only thing I don’t manipulate in terms of how it works.”[1] His earliest memory, he recalls, was when he was roughly 18 months old. The light from a chandelier shone on his grandmother’s white hair and a nearby table, illuminating the surfaces and made the table appear as if it was floating.
During his childhood, Fiore lived in a household where family members made good use of their hands. His grandparents emigrated from Sicily, and his grandfather worked as a shoemaker; his grandmothers on both sides were seamstresses, and his maternal grandfather was a barber. He also recalls both his mother and grandmother knitting and crocheting for the family. At five, his father—who had an interest in art—began teaching him how to draw. He taught him about perspective, as well as the basic fundamentals of watercolor. Shortly thereafter, he bought his son a camera, and Fiore taught himself how to use it. He was given $2 a week from his father—a dollar for the film, and another dollar to get the film processed. Fiore later learned how to work in a dark room, developing his own photos. At the beginning of his artistic endeavors, his parents were his first supporters. Later in life, his wife Barbara — an illustrator and sculptor— became his greatest support.
Prior to his formal art education, Fiore attributes the foundation of his work ethic to his attendance at a parochial school. Formal art training for him began with Pratt Institute and the Art Students League in New York. At Pratt, he learned the art of visual communication in the illustration department, where painting at this time was minimal. After leaving Pratt in ’77, he attended the Art Students League in New York where he studied painting from 1978 to 1980. Towards the end of his enrollment at Pratt, Fiore had sent samples of his illustration work to various publications including McCall’s, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and Woman’s Day. By the following week, he acquired a job working for McCall’s.
From 1986 until 1999, Fiore also collaborated with the Air Force Art Program, where he participated in a number of missions; and whose works currently reside in the Department of the Air Force Art Collection.
He worked in illustration from his early 20s until his mid-40s with various publications and clientele. However, after years of working in commercial art, Fiore realized he was not happy working as an illustrator. He began working on fewer jobs, which allowed him more freedom and time to create his own paintings. In 2002, he stopped working as a commercial illustrator and began doing his own work. “I’m not interested in making postcards. I’m trying to do something that is more universal and eternal—trying to capture a moment that is believable, that is palpable, that you feel you can walk into and breathe.”[2]
Fiore is perhaps best known for his landscape art which reveals the unsullied beauty of the woods, water, and open land; and prominently shows off his interest and visual understanding of light. He has since shifted his focus to long-term and intensive studies of individual trees, as well as lone icebergs. His passion for light remains and is evident in these studies and completed works. When searching for a motif, Fiore tries to find an image that allows him to explore light, as well as color and emotion. Only after making small paintings and studies will he know the full potential of a subject. Oftentimes, once he has found a location, he will visit the site on various occasions. He will visit at different times of the day, during different seasons, and during various weather conditions. At this point, he is not looking for a final image, but rather he is gaining information on the subject. This information is then used to create an image that represents the subject in a heightened or more nuanced form. This process and idea is what he refers to as ‘visual reorchestration.’ “Unless you understand what you are looking at and the true nature of the subject, your photos are going to ring empty. A photograph freezes a moment, and life is not a frozen moment. You have to learn to go beyond the photograph, reorchestrate and create something alive.”[3]
Many of Fiore’s recent, more mature works come together in series. Perhaps his most recognized works come from the “Pine Variations” series and the “White Pine Suite” series. The latter consists of three parts, The Cathedral; The Seasons; and The Passage. The Cathedral consists of fourteen paintings which depict the subjects in a spiritual manner, with each tree representing a specific aspect and support that makes up the cathedral. The second part, The Seasons, consists of four paintings which chronicle the cycle of time—an aspect that Peter is well acquainted with as he has spent much of his time, over long periods, observing these subjects as they change in their natural environs. The final part, The Passage, consists of two paintings which deal with life and its inevitable passing. When looking through Fiore’s work, one will find that trees have been, and still are, an important subject matter for him. In many ways, they are seen as a metaphor for life, as they have long histories with many stories to tell. The specific pines that are depicted in this series are frequently visited by Peter throughout the seasons. When visiting these trees in the early spring, Peter noticed that a flash fire had come in, charring and damaging the trees. At first shocked and saddened, Peter eventually found himself obsessed with the trees and their survival. Although scarred, he found the damage enhanced their beauty, emphasizing their strength and resilience. Through working on the series, he found the trees and their story reflected his own life at the time. Prior to his work on the project, Peter had been injured in a serious car accident, and his six months of rehabilitation allowed him to become reacquainted with himself. While working on the series, he saw that the trees mirrored his own life after the accident. Like the trees, he too was scarred, but through self-discovery and healing, he was able to emerge stronger and more passionate than before. “I realized over time that the growth was coming in stronger than before. It became a metaphor for healing. That is how the series of trees began. It started with the White Pine Suite, and it’s branched out since then.”[4]
Aside from his fascination with trees, Fiore also finds inspiration in icebergs. In 2018, thanks to funding through a Kickstarter, Fiore visited Newfoundland with his wife to study and photograph icebergs. His journey, and some of the photographs he took, are featured on his blog “Peter Fiore: Thoughts on Painting.” In June, he chronicled his journey; giving updates on his findings, the places he resided, and if any icebergs were spotted that day. Luckily, towards the end of his trip, Fiore spotted icebergs in the Upper Amherst Cove. Having not seen any at the first few places he visited, Fiore jumped at the chance to take many photographs of these icebergs. He also made sure to mark the spot on his GPS so he could find the location again for future reference. With his subjects in place, he studied the icebergs and all their visual nuances. Part of his observation process included viewing them at different times during the day; this meant viewing them from sunrise through sunset. Aside from the photographs, Fiore also made small studies that would aid him when he returned to his studio to begin working on the series. Of his work on icebergs, Fiore has said, “Our planet is forever changing, the glaciers are melting and icebergs may not be here forever. I want to visually chronicle and share with future generations this epic saga—the passage of icebergs.”[5] When posting his iceberg work on social media, Fiore uses hashtags that relate to the subject and mediums, as well as those that relate to climate activism including #saveearth; #savewater; #savetheocean; #reduceplastic; and #savethetrees, among others.
Aside from commercial illustration and landscape painting, Fiore has also spent his time teaching. He has been part of the faculty for Pratt Institute, the University of Delaware, and Syracuse University’s BFA and MFA Programs. He currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, where he enjoys sharing experiences with his students. In Milford, Pennsylvania, Fiore also hosts workshops where he helps artists look beyond the photograph — wherein he helps others create a more dynamic and compelling painting. These workshops can typically last around 3-5 days and allows artists to gain insight and criticism from an established landscape painter like Fiore.
Fiore has also won numerous awards and accolades for his work. He has taken part in the Art Renewal Center’s Annual International Salon Competitions countless times, where he has earned honorable mentions, finalist positions, and first place. For the Art Renewal Center’s 7th Annual International 2010/2011 Salon Competition, his work was chosen for first place, two finalist positions, and an honorable mention. His piece “Winter Storm Clearing” won first place; “New Day, January” earned him an honorable mention; and “Late Winter Moon, March” and “Rising Sun” both earned him finalist spots. The Art Renewal Center also named him a Living Master in 2012, where he is featured on their website along with thirty-one of his artworks. In 2014, Fiore was awarded the American Art Collector Award of Excellence for his piece “Tangle 1,” which was a 50 x 50 inches, oil on linen. His piece “Winter Storm Clearing” also won the America China Oil Painting Artists League Open Competition Grand Prize in 2011. That same year, Fiore’s painting was part of an exhibition in Ohio at the Butler Museum of American Art from December to January 2011/12. After its showing in Ohio, “Winter Storm Clearing,” along with two other paintings “At First Light” and “January Awakening,” traveled to China where it toured to six cities along the east coast. The tour ran from September 15, 2012 until July 30, 2013, and marked an important resurgence in the field of realist painting. Participating artists in the show are part of ACOPAL, a league whose goal is to share and exchange creative and philosophic work of realist artists from both the United States and China.
Fiore’s reasons for making art are simple. Art has been a natural part of his life, and he can’t imagine doing anything else. In art school, Peter had thought about studying photography — something he was familiar with thanks to his father — and even entertained the idea of film making. However, he believed the collaborative nature of film making was not for him. Painting, on the other hand, is most often a solitary act, allowing the artist to create meaning on both a universal and individual level.
Peter and his wife currently live along the Delaware River in northeastern Pennsylvania. It’s in the surrounding areas where he finds most of his subjects and inspiration. His proximity to his subject matter allows him to visit each spot on numerous occasions. Here—along with his sketchpad, camera, and voice recorder—he spends hours observing his subject as it goes through an evolution impacted by the changing environment.
[1] American Art Collector, November 2011, p. 130
[2] “Peter Fiore.” The Artist’s Road. Accessed September 15, 2023. https://www.theartistsroad.net/articles/peterfioreprofile.
[3] Inman, Bill. “Blank Canvas – An Interview with Peter Fiore.” Master Oil Painting. Accessed September 14, 2023. https://www.masteroilpainting.com/blank-canvas-an-interview-with-peter-fiore/.
[4] “Symbols of Passage.” American Art Collector, April 2015, p. 114
[5] Fiore, Peter. “Icebergs: A New Body of Work.” Peter Fiore. Accessed September 28, 2023. https://www.peterfiore.com/icebergs/icebergs01.html.
Illustrations by Peter Fiore
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Borden, Louise, Trish Marx and Peter M. Fiore. Touching the Sky: The Flying Adventures of Wilbur and Orville Wright. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003.
Brady, Kimberly Smith and Peter M. Fiore. Keeper for the Sea. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996.
Cheney, Lynne and Peter M. Fiore. When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2004.
Gray, Libba Moore and Peter M. Fiore. Dear Willie Rudd. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1993.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett and Peter M. Fiore. Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1994.
Kristof, Emory, Tor Lokvig, National Geographic Society and Peter M. Fiore. Undersea Treasures. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1995.
Kroll, Steven and Peter M. Fiore. The Boston Tea Party. New York: Holiday House, 1998.
Ransom, Candice F. and Peter M. Fiore. One Christmas Dawn. Bridgewater Books, 1996.
Thoreau, Henry David, Steven Schnur and Peter M. Fiore. Henry David’s House. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2002.
