Special Projects
Artist in Residence at Ox-Bow
In 2009, Mars was awarded an Artist Residency at the prestigious Ox-Bow School of Art. With close ties to the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow provides an inspiring haven for visual artists, writers, and thinkers. A residency at Ox-Bow gives the professional Artist time to re-charge, re-think and re-invent, all within what can be an explosively creative setting. Read Peter's blog about his experience at Ox-Bow.
Elvis Presley Partnership
Peter Mars was named an official artist of Elvis Presley Enterprises. Through his collaboration with EPE, Peter has access to over 60,000 images of Elvis from the Graceland Archives, which inspired his new series of paintings to be sold through galleries and to appear on high-end, officially licensed Elvis merchandise.
The Redwalls
The Redwalls commissioned Peter Mars to create the artwork for their 2007 self-titled release, The Redwalls and a limited edition silk screen.
Formed in 2001 by brothers Logan and Justin Baren and signed by Capitol Records in 2003, The Redwalls have released three albums, Universal Blues, De Nova, and their latest, The Redwalls.
The Redwalls are a four-piece rock band influenced by the music of The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and David Bowie. The Redwalls spent the summers of 2005 and 2006 touring with Oasis, and playing at Lollapalooza. They have also performed on Late Night with Conan O' Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman.
Cool Globes
The Cool Globes exhibit is designed to inspire individuals and organizations to take action against global warming. Cool Globes commissioned Artists from around the world to paint on sculpted fiberglass globes, with each globe suggesting steps that can be taken to combat global warming.
Prompted by former Vice President Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth, Senators Joe Lieberman, John McCain and Barack Obama commissioned Peter Mars to create a globe to promote the "Climate Stewardship Act," a bill widely hailed as the most successful bipartisan effort to combat global warming to date.
Peter was also commissioned to paint several other globes that have appeared in exhibitions in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington D.C.
1+1+1
Started by Philadelphia Pop Artist Jeff Schaller, the project spotlighted 7 of the most exciting young artists across the U.S. The exhibition was sponsored by The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank, and involved the display of more than 50 collaborative artworks created by Jeff Schaller, Ellie Byrom-Haley, Sean Duran, Tom Judd, Burton Morris, Peter Mars, and Brian Petro.
The 1+1+1 Collaboration Project at The Art Trust Gallery held out the idea of collaborative strength by linking business and philanthropy with the arts, and was sponsored by CRW Graphics, Gecko Group, and Brilliant Studio.
Shelby Mustang
Carroll Shelby, one of the greatest racecar drivers of all time and legendary automobile designer, asked Peter Mars to create a group of paintings featuring some of the most famous Shelby Racing Designs. The completed Peter Mars paintings were then autographed by some of racing's most prominent drivers including Shelby himself, Phil Hill and Dan Gurney. Fans who attended the event could acquire the autographed artworks and meet with the drivers.
Carroll Shelby is the designer of many of the most successful and beautiful cars of the era, most notably, the 427 Shelby Cobra, the Shelby Mustangs, and the Dodge Viper. His design for the 1965 Shelby GT350 Ford Mustang is to this day regarded as a remarkable example of iconic American Muscle Car design, and all Shelby cars are highly prized by collectors and race fans alike. The Shelby designs were a perfect match of the art of Peter Mars with an icon of racing and auto-design.
Suite Home Chicago
Chairs on Parade? It's the latest in summer street art.
Two years after Cows on Parade won worldwide media attention for Chicago, the city installed "Suite Home Chicago"– a series of 350 pieces of life-sized sofas, chairs, ottomans and televisions, decorated by more than 150 Chicago area artists.
Cows On Parade
Mayor Richard Daley called the Cows on Parade project "The single largest and most successful event in the history of Chicago."
Peter Mars' cow was sponsored by Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and was auctioned off at Chicago's Navy Pier at a benefit for the Make a Wish Foundation.
"The most fun part of my cow experience is that she was purchased by a very proud Irish lady, who sponsors a float in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. So every year the Cow rides on her own float in Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade, one of the largest parades in the U.S.A."
Michael Jordan
Peter Mars was commissioned to do a portrait of Michael Jordan, during the heyday of the Chicago Bulls NBA dynasty.
Beginning in 1990, the Bulls fielded a team that soon became one of the greatest in NBA history, winning 6 NBA Championships in 8 years. "I got courtside tickets to various playoff games. The crowd would go absolutely out of their minds. I also had the clearances to the locker room and press conferences. I've never seen so many photographers in my life. It was pandemonium."
"I did the portrait after the third championship, at the peak of the Jordan dynasty, and then Michael hung it in his restaurant. The environment surrounding this team and Michael Jordan himself was absolute intense electricity. It was thrilling just to be around it."
Inspiration Cafe
Peter Mars is the chairman of the juried art auction for the annual Inspiration Corporation benefit. Inspiration Cafe is a non-profit orgainzation founded by former police officer Lisa Nigro, who in 1989 borrowed a red wagon, filled it with coffee and sandwiches and pulled it around the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago offering dignity and respect to the homeless men and women she encountered. Inspiration Corporation has grown to serve 2,500 individuals a year by providing meals, supportive services, housing, employment preparation and vocational training. View a short video about Inspiration Cafe that ran during the Oscars.
features
The works of Peter Mars are not commissioned, endorsed or sponsored by any third parties.
playlists
Peter's Listening To:
- Kings of Leon
- Bun B
- Sublime
- Psychedelic Furs
- The Black Keys
- David Bowie
Peter's Watching:
- Mad Men
- Ghost Hunters
- Community
- Ugly Betty
- Dog the Bounty Hunter
- 30 Rock
Favorite Movies:
- Vertigo
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Live and Let Die
- The Pink Panther
- The Graduate
- Paris Texas
- Blood Simple
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
– John Keats.