Bill Peterson is a frequent diner at Pogacha of Bellevue, where he often doodled with crayons on the white butcher paper tablecloths in the restaurant as he waited for his favorite wood-fired pizza.
The Bellevue resident’s crayon and pencil creations intrigued his dining partners enough that one evening they insisted he tear the paper off the table and take it home. At home, some experimentation and enhancement with more crayons and acrylic paint convinced Peterson it was time to once again pursue his long dormant art hobby.
Peterson’s enhanced table doodles are the subject of his show at Pogacha restaurant of Issaquah, 120 NW Gilman Blvd. “Abstract Expressionism” will be on display through Jan. 30. After Jan. 30, the show will move to Pogacha of Bellevue, 119 106th Ave NE, where it will run through March 13.
About two dozen of Peterson’s framed crayon and acrylic paintings, most with their beginnings on a Pogacha table, will be displayed on the Pogacha walls.
In a very Picasso-esqe style, Peterson’s creations come alive with bold, vivid colors and heavy lines. Some drawings are simplistic and easy to define, while others are multi-layered and involved, begging for imagination and interpretation. Some common themes include faces, animals, wine and song.
“Some may view my paintings as being somewhat complex, sometimes simple, and at times, even comical,” Peterson said. “I create each piece with a definite theme in mind, but what I really enjoy is leaving that final interpretation up to the discretion of the viewer. That’s the fun part.”
Born in Lodi, Calif., Peterson has been a Bellevue resident since the early 1950s. His biggest influence in the field of art was Bellevue High School art instructor Don Simmons, who taught Peterson most of the skills and techniques that he still applies today.
Simmons’ inspiration and encouragement gave Peterson the self-confidence to pursue art through college. A 1967 graduate of the University of Puget Sound, Peterson studied art until he ran out of classes to take. After college, he put his art “hobby” in the deep freeze, thawing only on rare occasions to fulfill a special request or to create a gift for a friend.
