“I was the kid who drew the covers for programs in grade school and the cartoonist for our high school paper. Innately, and through early learning, I owe to my dad firstly, respectfully, and gratefully.” ~PH
The Horjus artistic gene is a strong one. Peter Horjus was raised by an artist father who encouraged him to draw wherever possible (but maybe not on the church pews during service). In first grade, Peter traded his snacks for other kids' paper and crayons and grew up in a house that was “like an art store.” Peter’s father was a trained artist in Holland, where he studied design, advertising, and lettering.
“Growing up, every room in our house had a mural. When my father ran out of rooms, he painted a 100-foot fence outside with a black and white bustling harbor scene. Every kitchen drawer and cabinet had a gold leaf motif, and our hallway had shiny faux marble work. He did it all, and on everything.”
Peter’s father and mother immigrated to the US after World War II, settling in a Dutch community in Artesia, CA, where they raised their family. “I was always encouraged, watched, and directed by my dad to draw better. He taught me line, form, and shading. He was tough, always finding where I could improve, and I’m still improving. I suppose he was preparing me for the critiques in drawing and design classes in college.”
In high school, Peter was drawn to graphic design. “I loved simple imagery and its relationship with typography, but didn’t know what made good design. I painted cars in high school, so there was a time I was working on a not-so-great logo for my own auto body shop.” Summers were spent working in block and brick masonry, where Peter was fascinated by how things were built. He considered a career in construction and attended Point Loma College in San Diego, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art & Graphic Design.
After graduating, he started his own graphic design and illustration studio, where his first award-winning logo design was for Dantuma Masonry, his first boss and mentor. “I went to a Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition, which changed how I saw illustrated imagery. The immediacy of line in brush and ink and the textured spatter areas was simply beautiful.”
Illustrator Al Hirschfeld, Picasso, and Matisse also influenced Peter’s work. “For logo design, I always run my ideas past Saul Bass and Paul Rand, as if they were alive and reviewing my work at the critique table. I’m drawn to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) graphic design from the thirties and forties, especially the typography of that era.”
Being married to another artist—our March cover beauty, Colette Cosentino Horjus—also keeps his creative flame alive: “We encourage one another in our projects, take a fresh look at each other's work with suggestions and praise, and understand each other when the creative light is glowing bright or a little dim.”
Peter met Colette while she was living in Santa Barbara, and after a year of dating, he moved here to live closer. Peter only knew one other person locally, but he found community easily. “I’m thrilled and grateful that this town embraced me and my design, illustration, and paintings early on.”
Industrious and “a bit of a perfectionist,” Peter also describes himself as anxious and someone who has a hard time saying no. This explains his lengthy client list—from Saks Fifth Avenue to Coca-Cola—including secret-level graphic design presentations for the U.S. Government at NOSC (Naval Oceans System Command) and artist representation with Rapp Art, a renowned illustration agency in New York.
Peter is everywhere, down to logos around town. Coast Village Road, Alessia’s Patisserie, Arts District, Miramar Group, Cork Pull Polo, and Renauds Patisserie are all Peter. “I recently illustrated the walls at the new Lama Dog on upper State Street with whimsical and fun dog concepts.”
When he’s not at his studio on Figueroa Street, he and Colette show their work at the Round Top Antiques Show in Texas. They recently purchased three 107-year-old cottages in Round Top he’s excited about remodeling. “I’m also designing and sourcing a new line of women’s silk scarves with my pen & ink illustrations and other graphic imagery. This summer, I’m switching from cowboy-themed paintings to vintage-inspired sandy beach and sunny illustrative paintings—bright and cheery.”
It’s always a black and white moment for Peter, and this artist remains creative, curious, and grateful wherever he is.
Schedule a logo or art consultation directly: peter@peterhorjus.com
11 West Figueroa, Santa Barbara
peterhorjus.com | @peterhorjusart
I was always encouraged, watched, and directed by my dad to draw better. He taught me line, form, and shading. He was tough, always finding where I could improve, and I’m still improving.