PETER STEIN
artist · author
Peter with his guitar Peter playing guitar

Drawings

My large-scale graphite drawings explore what lies beneath the surface: our vulnerabilities, contradictions, and what connects us. I strive for unexpected, slightly surreal imagery and work toward the truths in what we reveal, what we conceal, and what we share.

Abstracts

My abstract work explores the relationships between shape, color, and space—how forms balance, collide, separate, and belong. Drawing on the simplicity and optimism of mid-century modernism, I work intuitively and playfully, finding kinship in difference and connection in unexpected places.

SOLO WORKS

COLLABORATIONS

Works created with Gabriel Stein

Picture Books

I'm the author of eight children’s books, two of which I've illustrated.
I've been lucky to have truly talented, remarkable illustrators bring my other books to life.

A Tree for Mr. Fish by Peter Stein Trucks Galore by Peter Stein The Boy and the Bear by Peter Stein Cars Galore by Peter Stein Little Red's Riding Hood by Peter Stein Bugs Galore by Peter Stein Toys Galore by Peter Stein The Runaway No-Wheeler by Peter Stein
Peter playing acoustic guitar

Songs

Music has always been a huge part of my life, and songwriting has been a natural extension of that—a wonderful way to explore the world inside and around me.

I create the chords, melodies, and lyrics, then upload recordings of my songs to the music production app Suno, where I guide the arrangements, instrumentation, and vocals. It's been a gift to hear the songs I've written over the years become something I could only imagine before.

Take me to songs

“The most beautiful thing we can experience
is the mysterious. It is the source
of all true art and science.”

Albert Einstein
Peter Stein working on a large-scale drawing

I'm a multidisciplinary artist who has never been too interested in staying in one lane. I love making things, whether it's a life-size graphite drawing, books for kids, an abstract piece, or a song. Creativity is both play and work, and I find it much more welcoming when I make the space for it and invite it in.

My work has been exhibited locally and at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.