Peter Roux's work is deeply driven by the natural world and our experiences within it. 

"I see my work as pictures about juxtaposition—of things to other things, of image to experience, of us to the world around us," Artwork Archive's Featured Artist says. 

Peter expresses a keen interest in our relationship with the world and the vast outer spaces we encounter. Landscapes serve as the entry point in his work, encompassing sky, water, and place. He is drawn to these spaces, but more so to how we experience them daily, especially through images, and how the language of images informs our perception. 

A critical aspect of Peter Roux's art practice is his focus on the language of editing, particularly the art of cropping. He challenges conventional boundaries, experimenting with extreme verticals, cube structures, and the dynamic interplay between object and subject. In his creations, Roux emphasizes the illusory nature of images. "The images I create aren't the things they represent—they're not clouds, not land; they're substance on a surface, creating illusion, and standing in."

Peter Roux's art is a journey through the vast, rich mine of the external world, a continuous exploration and response to the ever-changing landscape around him. Ultimately, he believes that all art represents a collective of voices from a specific point in time, reflecting on our era. 

His artworks are his contributions to this collective narrative. 

Artwork Archive had the chance to chat with Peter Roux about his creative process, advice he has for artists, and how Artwork Archive helps him manage his studio and art career! 

You can see more of his work on Discovery and learn more about his art practice below.

Peter Roux, 'Cross-Cut', 60 x 44 in, 2023

Do you have a favorite or most satisfying part of your process? If so, can you share a bit about it?

Every part of my process holds satisfaction for me at some level.

That said, the very first sparks of an idea are especially interesting to me. An idea or image takes shape in my mind, and at that point, it seems to hold almost limitless possibilities—even if the idea is fairly specific.

I also get jazzed about the stage where a piece begins to "live" on its own, and I begin to lose my understanding of how I got it there. That's an especially exciting point for me.

 

Can you elaborate on how you use landscape as an entry point for your work and how it relates to the way we experience the world?

We all have a relationship to the natural world and everything around us. This relationship contains both the personal and the shared experiences.

I think of elements of the natural world as a jumping-off point for exploring how we experience our realities. They become a starting subject for creating and exploring content—how we see, and how we respond.

The universal aspect of nature-as-subject is a familiar vehicle, it acts as an entry into the work.

Peter Roux, 'Suspension (level)', 30 x 72 in, 2022

What draws you to exploring unconventional edges and limits in your artwork, such as extreme verticals and cube structures?

I tend to think of images (of any kind) as windows with areas and edges. Images have limit points: the places they stop, the angles they contain, and the shapes of the windows.

These all inform what and how we take imagery in. I started thinking about exploring those elements a bit more loudly in the work, including pulling the image into a more dimensional space—off the wall.

This led me to develop paintings in the form of columns and cubes. I still consider them to be paintings as opposed to sculptures, although, in the end, I'm not sure the categories matter too much.

 

What impact do you hope your work will have on those who view it?

My biggest hope is that the work will have some kind (any kind) of impact on a viewer—that they will come away with feelings or responses to it.

Beyond that, I let it go.

I realize that each viewer brings their own unique experience, history, and sensibility to their viewing, and I have no way of controlling or predicting this. Nor would I want to.

For me, it's what attracts me to making and looking at art—it always remains, in the end, a personal portal.

Peter Roux, Equities (by variation) no. 2, 70 x 32 in., 2022

What does success as an artist mean to you? 

For me, success as an artist simply means being able to make work as true to myself as I can manage.

That requires time, and time is so valuable. How I'm able to find that time becomes a puzzle to solve, and I believe artists need to find whatever ways they can to solve their own 'time puzzle'.

I've reached a point where I can make my living by creating and selling my work, and for that, I'm always grateful. But, what that ultimately buys me in the end, is time.

I strongly believe that if an artist makes work that is meaningful to them, others exist out there who find it meaningful as well. Finding those connections is also a measure of success for me.

 

If you experience them, how do you handle creative blocks and find the motivation to keep creating?

I usually don't find myself experiencing creative blocks; instead, I tend to suffer from creative confusion. This means struggling to organize my ideas and compulsions in a way that allows me to create fully realized work. 

Ideas, fueled by excitement, are frequent and sometimes super-jumbled. So, I've had to learn to slow my roll and edit my activities to use my creative energy to see things through.

And, it never fails—one piece of work generates thoughts for ten others. 

 

Peter Roux, 'Enroach', 42 in, 2022

Why did you decide to use Artwork Archive to inventory/manage your artwork?

I needed a central organizing space for my work, one that could hold inventory that I could access quickly, see information attached to the work, and the ability to share it easily and professionally.

I found Artwork Archive through recommendations from other artists. After using it for a few years now, it's an indispensable part of my practice.

 

How do you use Artwork Archive on a daily basis?

All my work is categorized and placed into inventory on Artwork Archive.

I group my pieces into collections for easy and specific access, and to track their locations, whether in galleries, my studio, or elsewhere. It makes tracking so easy.

One of my favorite functions is being able to generate reports, most frequently Portfolio Pages, which I use to quickly and professionally send images to interested parties in a beautiful presentation.

 

What advice would you give an artist who’s just starting out in their professional career?

The best advice I can give is to create your work. Find the time in any way you can, but make work over and over. In doing that, the work grows in strength, and you grow as an artist.

Do your best to make work with the firm belief that it is indeed worth being made, and has value—because it does. Self-doubt can be a destroyer. If you find value in it, someone else will too. Hold on to that idea, and trust it to be true.

Additionally, be as organized as you can, and use the best judgment you can muster when working with others to find markets for selling your art. 

Peter Roux, 'Check the Gate', 36 x 82 in, 2022

Peter Roux uses Artwork Archive to keep track of his artwork, send professional reports to clients, and a lot more.

You can make an online portfolio, catalog your artwork, and generate reports like inventory reports, tear sheets, and invoices in seconds with Artwork Archive. Take a look at Artwork Archive's free trial and start growing your art business.