Peter first became known for his marine art. That’s not surprising given his interest as a young boy. So, when asked to do a boat painting in the Frank Hall Boat Yard in Avondale, he eagerly agreed.
The boat, Kate, was about to embark on a 1,500 mile journey from the Frank Hall Boat Yard in Avondale to its home port, Chicago. With departure only days away, Peter had to work fast to capture Kate’s image on canvas, leaving the rest of the scene until after the boat had set out. While the boat journeyed from Avondale down to NYC, then up the Hudson and through the Erie Canal System, eventually traversing three Great Lakes, Peter worked diligently to complete the painting so it could arrive in Chicago at the same time as the boat. It only seems fitting that the painting, like the boat featured in it, was shipped wet! That was a first for Peter.
Peter at work in the Frank Hall Boat Yard, Avondale
Going through one of many locks in the Erie Canal System
Pictured with the finished painting: John Hall and Brigid Rooney Hall, Frank Hall Boat Yard, Avondale (in front), Chuck and Cathy Reiter, Wilmette, IL (in back)
Kate in the Yard, Frank Hall Boat Yard, 17.5″ x 27.5″