‘Everything and everyone is full of colour and life’ — meet artist Pete Cromer

***Rachel Khoo would like to thank all the inspiring people who helped make the Khoollect studio a hive of creativity. Although the Khoollect studio’s doors have now closed, you can keep up with Rachel’s newest adventures on RachelKhoo.com and on Rachel’s Instagram and Facebook pages – and, continue to enjoy the Khoollect website’s stories and recipes, which will remain available.***

Imagine a place filled with dreamy pastel pink swirls, flocks of vividly coloured birds, clusters of smiling pet rocks — a place where waddling penguins and sleepy koalas cohabitate in harmony. This happy place is the imagination of Pete Cromer, an Australian artist with a penchant for finding life and colour in even the most inanimate and dimmest of places. We talked to Pete about his work, inspirations and love of colour. Here’s how it went down…

You look like you have a lot of fun with your work, did you always want to be an artist?

I always loved drawing as a kid so I knew I wanted to do something creative when I grew up. I have a graphic design background and have made the transition into art. I remember one Christmas, Santa gave me a full set of Derwent pencils and I lost my shit. Good times.

We love the vibrant colour palette you use; what inspires your work?

I’m inspired by the personalities of my subjects. Everything and everyone, in my eyes, is full of colour and life. I like to bring that out using colour and shapes.

Do you have routines when it comes to work, or is your creative process more flexible?

I try to have routines to keep me more structured, but I tend to be more fluid in my daily life so it can be a bit of a challenge. I allocate a certain amount of time for emails and admin, but the rest is all made up. Each day brings something different, and that is exciting.

Pete Cromer

Who are the artists that inspire you?

Todd James, Amy Sol, Dan Lam just to name a few. Love their use of colour and forms, makes me feel good. I get inspired by people (especially the ones I live with), musicians and just life in general.

Tell us about your part of the world…where do you most enjoy eating, drinking and relaxing there?

I live down the coast of Australia in a place called Torquay. I’m on a few acres and share the space with another family. This is where I relax and do all my eating and drinking. It’s very peaceful and it’s surrounded by nature and the people I love. I feel very lucky to be where I am. It can be a bit of a bubble sometimes so I’m conscious that I need reality checks from time to time.

Pete Cromer

If you weren’t creating colourful artworks, what would you most like to be doing?

Gosh, I have no idea. I would still need to make something. Probably a cheese maker, lol, I love cheese, the bluer the better. Yeah, I’d make cheese if I didn’t make art. I wonder how I would even begin doing that. I’ll YouTube it.

Which fellow artists should we be keeping an eye out for in 2017?

Todd James, Dan Lam, Laura Blythman, Liz Payne, and Stephen Ormandy.

What’s your best advice for someone who wants to pursue creative dreams?

Back yourself and be yourself. Don’t worry what everyone else is doing, focus on your own path, it’s yours, not anybody else’s. Be friendly, work hard and go with your gut.

Pete Cromer budgies

What’s coming up for you this year?

So many things. More colourful artworks for starters. I have moved into a new studio and will be looking at getting some people to help me out a little. This will free up some of my time so I can focus on exploring and experimenting with new ideas and mediums. It’s going to be a ripper of a year.

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WRITTEN BY:
Sonya Gellert

Sonya Gellert is a contributing writer and associate editor for Khoollect. She lives in Sydney....

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Check out Pete’s Instagram for a happy-making glimpse at his colourful world.