Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1931, Peterson spent four years at sea with the U.S. Navy. His principal duty - as a hand on an ocean-going tug sailing the Aleutian islands, North Pacific, Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean - imprinted the northern waters indelibly in his mind. A return to civilian life allowed him to explore the coasts - from Bath, Maine to the Florida Keys; from San Diego to Point Barrow, Alaska.

While his artistic talents found some expression in his work as draftsman, cartographer, industrial designer and architect, each was a means to an end: painting.

Peterson has been particularly drawn to the transitional time of marine history - 1840 to 1930 - when sails gave way to steam. He admires the grace and romance of the windships and the muscle of the work boats. Though his professional career does include portraiture, figure studies, landscapes, cloudscapes and still life, images of water and wind always prevail.

Peterson died in 2002 from cancer.