When I first met Pete he worked as a creative director in advertising. He always had high-pressure jobs that came fully loaded with ignorant bosses, angry clients, and unreasonable deadlines. He was one of the most anxiety-ridden people I’d ever met.
To cope with life Pete smoked and drank, a lot. He drank so much that he lost control over his own life and landed in the hospital, close to death. Against all odds, he survived the hospital stay and landed in rehab. It was there that he began to seriously rethink his life. Like a lot of people in his situation do, he swore that he would change. Unlike a lot of people who promise to change and don’t, Pete actually did change. He dedicated his life to art and worked his ass off. He was never totally free of anxiety but he was happy and productive.
I shot this picture of Pete at the opening of his one-man show at the Museum of Art in DeLand, Florida. The abuse of his body in his previous life had started to manifest itself as constant pain in his bones. He now had to walk with the aid of a cane. But, on this night, the pain was overpowered by pure joy. This was the most glorious evening of his life. The cavernous gallery was the perfect space for his extra-large, living color, canvases. Pete and his work looked at home in that museum. He held court all evening discussing his paintings with reporters, art lovers, and blue-haired museum patrons.
I spent the entire evening watching the joy grow on the face of my old friend. For a time, I imagined that he had finally broken free from the bonds of the anxiety that had gripped him his entire life.
Pete Grajirena was an artist.