About The Artist Peter Petraglia Born in New York City, Peter and his family moved to Vineland, NJ. when he was age 10. He now lives in Wrightstown, Bucks County, PA with his wife Virginia. They have been long-time residents of Bucks County and their Children (2 boys & a girl) were raised there. Education A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School of Art ( now University of the Arts ) Petraglia began his interest in art as a youngster in New York City. He pursued that interest throughout high school by taking art courses and participating in all the art activities offered. He also studied drawing and painting with the art teacher who took a special interest in his talent. Upon graduating from high school he joined the army and was fortunate enough to have spent almost a year in Japan.. While there working as camp publicity specialist, two fine Japanese artists who worked under his direction, gave him a mini-education in the arts of Japan. Escorting him to otherwise unattainable art, religious and historic sites and supplying him with art prints and literature gave Petraglia a deep appreciation for the wonderful design quality of Japanese art. At the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, after army service, he spent four years of intense study in all phases of applied and fine art. After studying under some of the most prominent professional artists and graphic designers in the field, he graduated with a major in advertising design. During a career in advertising and illustration he continued to paint and take art photographs. The combination of city/country influences have had a strong influence on his work. A diversity of approaches is a direct result of the visual images gathered in dramatically different locales. Employment A strong sense of design has always played an important role in all his work; as a designer on the staff of the Saturday Evening Post,art direction for the Philadelphia Bulletin,in myriad graphic designs and illustrations for publications and industry and in the design of an original topical cartoon strip which appeared weekly in the Advance of Bucks County and the New Hope Gazette. During the period of working as a designer/illustrator he also was a part-time instructor at the Philadelphia College of Art. Continuing to paint and enter art shows, Petraglia at this point became a partner in Princeton Partners, Inc. a full service advertising agency in Princeton, NJ. His design and illustration strengths were put to full use there. During this time at the agency he served as Art Director, V.P., President and lastly C.E.O. In 1986 Petraglia sold his partnership and has dedicated full time to the fine arts and gathering visual images on trips to Europe and New England. Organizations Presently he is a member of the Art Advisory Board of Bucks County Technical School and has previously served a number of years on the Art Advisory Board of Mercer County Community College in New Jersey. He is a long-time member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club ( the oldest artist run art organization in the U.S. ), Artists Equity, a charter member of Artists Gallery in Lambertville, NJ and several local art organizations including Artsbridge in Lambertville, NJ. Petraglia also maintains memberships in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Museum of Art and the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Bucks County. Copyright 1999 All rights reserved Concorde Fine Arts