Being asthmatic during his childhood, he turned to drawing during his numerous hospitalizations. Later, when he lived in New York, he fell into drug addiction and had several stints in prison and psychiatric hospitals. It is from these experiences that the artist draws inspiration for his work today. Urban violence, ghettos, and the tension that prevails there are at the heart of his artwork. « I paint a reality that not everyone has necessarily experienced but which exists, that is out there. There’s a kind of primal life that goes along with this misery, and that’s what I try to address in my paintings, » the artist says, without passing moral judgment. In addition to his painting career, Cleon Peterson is a highly regarded graphic artist in the skateboarding world. In 1998, he joined Shepard Fairey’s California team of assistants. In 2009, he had his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles and has continued to take on multiple projects ever since. In 2014, he created a 50-meter mural at the Palais de Tokyo.