JONATHAN CHERRY: What got you started with photography?

PETER LARSON: I’d take photos of my friends on the weekends with a digital point & shoot camera in high school. In college, I started taking Visual Communication courses even though I wasn’t in the program—they were my favorite classes, so that seemed like a simple indicator for what I should pursue.

JC: Any emerging artists inspiring you at the moment?

PL: I always keep an eye on OU photographers. I’m very into the work of Peter McCullough, Peter Hoffman, Ross Mantle, Noah Rabinowitz and Matt Eich.

JC: Whats your current project all about?

PL: I’m working on an ongoing series called ‘Brothers’, which features mostly candid imagery of my closest friends. On July 6th, I’m having my first solo show and the exhibition is dedicated to them.

JC: Where are you currently living and how is it shaping you?

PL: I grew up in Cleveland and moved down to Athens, OH to attend college. When I graduated from Ohio University, I headed back to Cleveland and have been here for two years. The area has been crucial to my series ‘Brothers’ because the majority of the subjects are Clevelanders. I felt a bit unsettled when I moved back until I put my energy into documenting them. Initially, I didn’t have a specific purpose for the photos—I just felt compelled to take them. It wasn’t until I was asked to do a show that I realized I had a body of work, or the start of one at least. Anyways, Cleveland has been great and I’m glad to be here.

JC: One piece of advice to recent photography graduates?

PL: Try assisting—there’s a lot to learn. But, be sure to avoid getting sucked in to the point that your own work suffers or flat out doesn’t happen. 

JC: Any big plans for the rest of 2012?

PL: I have a 365 painting project called I AM NOT LEROY that I have been working on this year—I’d like to do a show somewhere in town, but if all else fails I’ll have one at my studio. 

JC: Favourite tree?

PL: The oak tree at the end of Shawshank Redemption.