10 Questions with PJPIII - Patrick Peters

After almost dying from Covid, PJPIII (The Artist) suffers from Long Covid. He was not able to work at the company he co-founded and left to recover and heal. He found that painting gave him serious relief from severe mental anguish. After months of painting, HE WOKE UP AN ARTIST. Today he is a full-time artist.

His road to recovery from a Traumatic Brain Injury from Long Covid has been documented in the news, and in just two years, he has managed to have two solo exhibitions. His first was in NYC at Dacia Gallery. He then showed at CICA Museum in South Korea.

PJPIII (The Artist) was in South Hampton Arts Center for four months. He has sold art in the Hamptons at Collette's and other venues. In the summer of 2022, his art sold out at Aloof Icon in Southampton.

He sells most of his art online. He is selling art every day to collectors around the world.
He is represented by ArtLever, one of the most famous international art dealers in the world.

He is a self-taught artist. He has never been formally trained but is constantly training and studying to become the best artist on earth. His mentor, who found him in Southampton while he was painting in a garage, is Paton Miller. Paton is a world-renowned artist from Southampton, NY. PJPIII (The Artist) only makes a certain amount of collectors' art per year. So look out for his drops.

rememberthisart.com | @pjpiii

ARTIST STATEMENT

Mission:
To create art that inspires you to live out your dreams. NO MATTER HOW HARD THINGS GET!

Vision:
To be the most collected living artist on earth.

Purpose:
I exist to inspire YOU to chase YOUR dreams through art!

Promise:
A % of all profits of his art sales will go to charities or initiatives that make the world a better place.

INTERVIEW

You are a self-taught artist. How did you begin making art? And when did you decide to turn it into your primary career?

I didn't choose to be an artist. It chose me! I was sick in my room from Covid during the first wave and was on lockdown. I ordered a canvas to paint because I needed to fill the time. When I was sick and alone in my room, I looked at the canvas and realized that an artist has the ability to leave messages and stories that can inspire people to live differently long after they are gone. That really opened my eyes to the power of art. After getting Covid, I found a deeper love of art because I was struggling with brain swelling for Long Covid, and art allowed me to escape my pain. I would paint for hours, and that's when I knew that art had chosen me. 

Covid had a huge impact on your life, ultimately transforming you into the artist you are today. What did you learn from that experience? And how did it help you become the artist you are today?

Covid completely changed the trajectory of my life. I was an executive and co-founder of a very successful media agency. I was never able to go back to work. After Covid, I suffer to this day from Long Covid. The first year after Covid, I couldn't even read. It was hard to think. I couldn't work out. I had my identity stripped away from me in the middle of the night. Instead of only focusing on the negative, I focused on what I could do, Paint. I learned that we have a choice in life and that our perspective will set us free. It helped me become an artist because I had a lot of time to slow down. What I realized during that time is we are here to live out our own dreams, not someone else's. That really made it easy for me to step into my power as an artist. 

What do you wish you knew about contemporary art before you got started?

I wish I knew how powerful contemporary art was for shaping and articulating society from a current, past, and future perspective. Contemporary art is exactly like hieroglyphics were to our ancient ancestors who wrote on walls but defined as any art made by a living artist. It is the pulse of society, living artists who are experiencing and expressing macro and micro trends. Contemporary art is so much more than painting or sculpting. It is a vibration and frequency of a date and time from a living artist. If it stands out or connects with an audience, one day it will become history. That excites me. We all want to leave a legacy while we are here. It makes our time here a bit more purposeful if we are remembered. 

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

I believe that if we slow down and pay attention, we can align with our purpose. So I am very aware of life. I am aware of interactions with people, and I am present when I walk through the city. I analyze my thoughts, and I am always looking for inspiration. When I read, I think about words that can become art or art that can become words. I get a bit of a tingle in my body when I know that there's something I want to create. I am a marketer by default, so I always think about art that will inspire others but always create something that I feel is true to me and my experience in this reality, at this time.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Every step I take, every thought I have, and everything I see, hear, think or feel is all leading me to my next piece of art. 

You mostly work with painting. Why did you choose this medium? And what does it represent for you?

I feel most connected to painting because of the pain it helped me escape. I try to honor that connection and use it as a superpower. Overall I love to create something with a subjective lens, like painting. I was never into statistics or equations. I am impressed by the infinite number of inputs you can create when it comes to art. There is a fragility and expansiveness to painting that allows me to feel connected, free and inspired. 

Is there a piece you consider a "breakthrough" in your career? 

Yes, The piece's name is JADE. It is 10ft by 8ft, and it was my first piece in a reputable gallery. How it got there is a crazy story. I was introduced to a very famous New York artist named Paton Miller. He came to my garage studio when I was very sick to see my work. He looked me in the eyes when he was leaving and said, "You are the real deal!" I had no idea what I was creating was good. That completely changed the trajectory of my life. I started identifying as an artist, and it gave me the strength to move forward into this unknown world. JADE and another painting, LULU, were shown in Southampton Arts Center, and my career as an artist was born.

Do you have a role model that you've drawn inspiration from when creating your art?

Yes, Paton Miller and Jonathon Ende. Jonathon told me I was very talented when I was painting alone in my garage. He pushes me every day to be a better person, and that directly ties to my belief in myself as an artist. 

Is there anything else you would like to experiment with? Have you considered going into Crypto art and NFTs? 

I have sold a bunch of NFTs. I am currently working on a very big project that involves one of the top companies on earth. I was chosen as one of ten artists who will create a genesis NFT and my NFT art will be created on very famous Italian shoes. I Love NFTs, and the freedom and revenue opportunities for creators are tremendous. As an ex-media executive, I do not want to limit myself to just painting. I like to use my creative prowess to collaborate on projects that inspire me. 

Finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

I am working on so many exciting projects. My intention is to be the most collected living artist on earth. So I am looking at partnering with brands, creators, and ideas that allow me to get in front of a global audience. I think both local and global. Locally I am selling what I call "Bite Sized Collectible Art!" This is art that is affordable and convenient to hang for collectors and fans of my work. I create art on thin canvas, I frame it, I sign and date it, and it comes instantly hangable. The convenience of this, coupled with how inspirational the art is, excites me. It feels good to have so many people saying they want to hang my one of one bite-sized art in their homes. Beyond that, I am working on the NFT project that I mentioned above and a 12ft tall painting for a museum. I have a NYC studio I am moving into for the first time, which is very exciting.