5: The Art Of Lititz Shirt Factory

If you’ve been to the Lititz Shirt Factory, you might have been intrigued by some of the artwork around the building. That would be the work of local artist Alastair Blake Peters, who is wrapping up his residency at the building but not without talking to Jim and Kim on the Shirt Factory Center Stage podcast first. Listen as Kim and Jim talk to Alastair about his vision for the Shirt Factory building when it was still holding antiques, his artwork, his process, and so much more. If you love art or were just curious about the person behind the paintings at the Lititz Shirt Factory, this episode is for you! How Alastair helped craft the Shirt Factory (1:00) Kim and Jim introduce Alastair to the show and discuss how his vision and network helped shape what the Shirt Factory has become now. Alastair’s background (5:57) Alastair gives a quick background on his experience, from his journey to art school to working for his father. Does location impact art (9:38) Alastair believes the artist’s location has a massive impact on the art they create. He shares how his art changed going from his basement to painting at the Shirt Factory. Defining art (10:45) Art can be difficult to describe but Alastair gives it a shot. He explains how his process evolves to create something unique Painting sizes (12:11) Alastair paints on some massive canvases to create his art. He shares his thoughts on why he has to limit the size of his paintings and why he’d want to go even larger, if possible. Selling art (12:47) While making art has its difficulties, selling it can be even tougher. Alastair discusses how he started selling his art and how he learned to properly price pieces after discussions with other artists and a gallery owner. Rome (17:11) Alastair got the opportunity to live in Rome for a period during school that helped shape his art and even how he viewed mealtime. 5-year plan (18:34) Though Alastair can’t completely picture where he and his art will be in five years, he knows he wants to dedicate more time pain