Peter Scherrer

Peter Scherrer is an abstract painter who lives and works in San Pedro, a sleepy artist neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California. He finds his inspiration for his work in everyday life, explorations of the diverse neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and, as a frequent traveler, in the places he visits and the people he meets. He looks at his works, as reflections of what he experiences along his journey, and as a way to process what he sees and feels. To Scherrer, his works are moments in time; visible here today, but open to evolve with the next layer and ready to turn into a different, fresh moment.

Peter Scherrer arrived in Los Angeles from Switzerland in the early 90s with a tiny duffel bag and directions to the Rainbow on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. He‘d heard it was the place to be. Los Angeles has been his home ever since.

A native of Switzerland, Scherrer grew up in a small village outside of Zürich. Although he’d traveled throughout Europe, Los Angeles was new territory. It was a place to test his mettle and experience rock n’ roll and the laid back west coast culture. For years, Scherrer worked as a graphic designer. When he started out, graphic design was pretty muchhands on. Designers had to know how to draw, paint, photograph, process and produce. They got dirty. They sliced their fingers on their straight edge. Scherrer liked designing with the tools of his trade but he was also adaptable, and the transition from drawing boards and paper to computer screens and design applications felt easy and natural.

Years later, with a successful studio and a substantial portfolio of creative, commercial work, Scherrer returned to his first medium – painting. Now, his hands get dirty. He smells his medium. His tools are real. Mostly he works with acrylic on canvas. While there is a sense of freedom and expression in his works, he often maintains a grid – sometimes obvious, often hidden. Clearly a reference to graphic design.

Scherrer’s work can be found in private and corporate collections in the USA and Europe. Most recentlyhe has joined the artist roster of DHV Artworks in Dallas, Texas.

Shows:

Group shows, various in Southern California 2014 - 2025

Group Show, The Ranch (by Eric Johnson), 2024

Solo show, Consulate of Switzerland, Los Angeles, 2014

Education:

1992 BFA Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

1995 BFA Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA