Peter Koenig Biography

             PETER’S ARTISTIC PASSION TOOK MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF EXPRESSION OVER THE YEARS, AND BEGAN IN GRADE SCHOOL DRAWING PORTRAITS OF CLASSMATES. HIS ARTISTIC CAREER BEGAN IN NEW YORK CITY DOING DEPARTMENT STORE DISPLAY WORK. NEXT HE WAS EMPLOYED AS A GRAPHIC ARTIST FOR A LARGE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY. IN 1996, WHEN HIS DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED DOWN AND THE COMPANY CHANGED HANDS, HE STARTED HIS OWN BUSINESS CALLED “CREATIVE PAINTING”. FOR SEVERAL YEARS, PETER DID INTERIOR HOME PAINTING, SPECIALIZING IN FAUX FINISHES AND MURALS. HIS FIRST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THIS AREA WAS FOR A LOCAL HISTORIC CHURCH.

            IN ADDITION, IN 1998, HE NAMED AND WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE ARTERY GALLERY IN MILFORD, PA. THEN IN 2004, HE WAS DISCOVERED AND COMMISSIONED TO DO A LARGE BODY OF WORK FOR A POPULAR NEW JERSEY RESTAURANT, CONSISTING PRIMARILY OF VINTAGE SIGN BOARDS. AS A RESULT, IN NOVEMBER OF 2006, HIS WORK EARNED HIM A PLACE IN THE PRESTIGIOUS WILTON CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S AMERICAN CRAFTSMANSHIP SHOW.

            PETER KOENIG WAS A MULTI-FACETED ARTIST WITH A NATURAL ABILITY TO DRAW AND PAINT ALMOST ANY SUBJECT MATTER. HIS WORK HAS RANGED FROM VINTAGE SIGN BOARDS AND LANDSCAPES, TO STILL LIFE AND ABSTRACT ART. PETER WAS ALSO ADEPT AT PORTRAIT PAINTING, AND WAS A SKILLED ANIMAL ARTIST AS WELL. BECAUSE OF HIS ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE TALENTS, AND DEDICATION TO HISTORICAL ACCURACY, PETER GAINED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HIS MUSEUM QUALITY TAVERN AND TRADE SIGNS. PETER WAS CHOSEN BY A PANEL OF EXPERTS, CONVENED BY EARLY AMERICAN LIFE MAGAZINE TO BE LISTED IN THE DIRECTORY OF TRADITIONAL AMERICAN CRAFTS. PETER EARNED THIS HONOR FIVE TIMES WITH 2007 BEING THE FIRST AND 2016 BEING THE LAST TIME HE WAS HONORED AS WELL AS THE LAST TIME THAT HE ENTERED. PETER’S TAVERN AND INN SIGNS WERE FEATURED IN THE 2007 AND 2009 DIRECTORY EDITIONS AS WELL AS THE DECEMBER 2011 EDITION FEATURING AN ARTICLE ON TAVERN AND TRADE SIGNS.