Artist in Residence
Whittemore
Community Culture & Conservation
We are thrilled to welcome Oscar Peterson as our new Artist-in-Residence!
Beginning in late 2025, Oscar will make the Artist Studio his creative home for a two-year residency (2025–2027).
As Oscar settles in, we invite our community to be part of his journey.
In the months ahead, we’ll share opportunities to join his workshops, visit during open studio days,
and connect with him as he creates and shares his art.
Come discover more of Oscar’s beautiful work at www.oscarpetersonportraits.com,
and learn more about Oscar and his artistic vision below.
Featuring Oscar Peterson
Artist Statement
My artistic practice centers on narrative and viewer engagement. I aim to produce works that not only convey a story but also invite the audience to construct their own interpretations. These pieces are designed to foster a visual dialogue—encouraging reflection, inquiry, and personal connection.
By employing the techniques and principles of classical realism, I seek to re- contextualize its relevance in contemporary discourse. My intention is to create art that invites active participation, prompting viewers to explore the origins and meanings embedded within each work.
Artist Bio
Born in Harlem, New York, and raised in Brooklyn, Oscar Peterson now resides in Millburn Township, NJ. He brings a wealth of experience as a professional art director, designer, and illustrator for various corporations and non-profits, alongside his esteemed career as a commissioned fine arts painter specializing in portraiture. An alumnus of Pratt Institute and The Art Students League of New York, Peterson has had the privilege of studying under leading realist painters such as Nelson Shanks, Max Ginsberg, and Costa Vavagiakis. His talent was further recognized when he received the prestigious Gonzalez-Edwards Travel grant.
Peterson's work is featured in corporate and private collections and museums nationwide. His artistic process is rooted in traditional methods and techniques, often painting from life, while continuously incorporating new ideas and personal observations. Although he prefers using oil paints, he frequently explores various mediums to express his vision.
Described as “Contemporary Realism with an Impressionistic feel,” Peterson’s style draws inspiration from the Impressionists and the Old Masters. He resonates with Alberto Giacometti's philosophy: “The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity.”
To view his work, please visit his website, www.oscarpetersonportraits.com.
Select Awards
Finalist, Portrait Society of America Member’s Competition 2023
Best In Show, 2022 Salmagundi Club Drawing From Life Exhibition Finalist, Jerry’s Artarama Self-Portrait Competition 2016, 2019
Strokes of Genius 6: The Best of Drawing 2014
Gonzalez/Edwards Travel Grant, Art Students League of New York 2011
First Place, SOHO Painting Competition 2011
Best in Show, Paper Mill Theatre Gallery, MSHAC Juried Show, Millburn, NJ 2011 Award of Excellence, Morristown Community Theater, Morristown, NJ 2010
Red Dot winner (Best in-show), Art Students League Concours Exhibition 2009 Multiple Awards, Art Students League Concours Exhibition 2009-2012
Selected Exhibitions
Salmagudi Club Members Exhibition, NYC 2025
Gill St. Bernard’s Resident Artist Exhibition, Gladstone, NJ 2024/5
Salmagudi Club Humans 24, NYC 2024
NOAPS International Fall Online Exhibition 2024
Almenara Art Prize Online Exhibition 2024
Monmouth Museum 44th Annual Juried Exhibition 2024
Allied Artists of America 111th Annual Exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio 2023
Salmagudi Club Drawing From Life, NYC 2022
SM Windows into Black History, Montclair, NJ 2022
Inspired by an Object, Montclair Museum, Montclair, NJ 2021
Farmstead Arts Center OP & Students Exhibit, Basking Ridge, NJ 2021
Tell Two, 10 Year Retrospective, Millburn Library (Online), 2020
The Curator’s Lens, SOPAC, South Orange, NJ 2020
If You Look Carefully . . . Selected works of Oscar Peterson,
ARTfront Galleries, Newark, NJ 2019
Personal. Simple. Difficult. The Art of Oscar Peterson, HPL Gallery, New York, NY 2019
Discovery in the Detail — Studio Montclair Group Exhibition 2018
Unbound — (solo exhibition) Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ 2017 Millburn/Short Hills Arts Commission Mentor’s Show, Millburn, NJ 2013 – Present Paper Mill Theatre Renee Foosaner Gallery, Group Shows, Millburn, NJ 2010/11 The Art Students League Concours Exhibition 2009 – 2012, New York, NY
ISE Cultural Foundation Gallery, New York, NY, 2010
GE Corporate Headquarters Exhibition 2010, Fairfield, CT
Mostly Paint (solo exhibition) Millburn Library, Millburn, NJ 2010
Teaching
Drawing instructor, Montclair Art Museum 2024 – Present
Drawing and Painting instructor, Princeton Adult School 2022 – Present Drawing and Painting instructor, The Farmstead Arts Center 2016 – Present Drawing and Painting instructor, The Hunterdon Art Museum 2016 – Present Drawing and Painting instructor, The Center for Contemporary Art 2014 – Present
Summer Drawing Workshop, The Art Student’s League 2018
Teaching Assistant, Ephraim Rubenstein’s Drawing, Pastel, Oil Painting, Gouache Beginner’s Workshops, The Art Students League 2010 – 2016
Monitor for Nelson Shanks, Costa Vavagiakis, Dan Thompson, Max Ginsburg, and Brandon Soloff, The Art Students League 2009 – 2014
Memberships
Portrait Society of America
Salmagundi Club
Allied Artists of America
National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society
Vice-Chair Millburn-Short Hills Arts Advisory Commission Gaelen Gallery Art Show Committee member