Peter Gynd is an artist who grew up amongst the coastal rainforests of western Canada and is known for his paintings that pull influence from his experiences in nature.

Peter studied old masters oil painting and classical sculpture before pursuing a degree in Glassblowing from the Alberta College of Art and Design (BFA, 2006). Gynd worked mostly in glass from 2002–08, before returning his focus to painting following a month-long camping trip to Hawaii. Glassblowing taught Gynd much about colour, light, form, and working with other artists towards a unified artistic vision, and remains a large influence on his practice. 

Concurrent to this, Gynd worked in exterior highrise restoration—rappelling down skyscrapers—before moving to New York City to further his education in art. He was a member of the Dynamo Arts Association while in Vancouver, where he began curating and also taught oil painting classes from his studio. Gynd has since taught plein air oil painting workshops in Canada, Italy, and Mexico. 

At the insistence of his psychic, Peter Gynd relocated to New York City in early 2011 and set up a studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He began working for arts organizations and curated the feature exhibitions for the Northside Arts Festival (2011, 2012). Since then Gynd has curated numerous exhibitions at galleries, art fairs, and institutions, including a permanent exhibition at the Foundation Center, New York; and an acclaimed two-person presentation at the SPRING/BREAK Art Show in 2015. 

From 2016-20, Gynd was the director at Lesley Heller Gallery in Manhattan’s LES gallery neighbourhood, producing exhibitions by world renowned artists and up-and-coming stars. The gallery’s exhibitions were regularly featured in publications such as The New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, and Hyperallergic. He has been a guest critic at The Art Students League, Residencies Unlimited, Kunstraum, ChaNorth Artist Residency; a consultant with NYFA; guest lecture at Pratt Institute and LIU Post; and guest juror for numerous exhibitions. 

Gynd’s work is held in private collections around the world and has been in exhibitions at Ground Floor Gallery, NY; Equity Gallery, NY; New Jersey City University; Village West Gallery, NJ and featured in Hyperallergic, ArtSpiel, and ANTE.Mag. 

Peter Gynd most recently completed an MFA in Painting & Drawing from The City University of New York’s Brooklyn College, where he was also a Graduate Teaching Fellow. He is currently based between Houston, TX; Vancouver, Canada; and qathet, BC. 

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