Rhiwbina Living Issue 57

people
If you happen to see a man walking
around Rhiwbina with an easel
under his arm, his name is most
likely Dan Peterson.
Dan follows in the footsteps of
Welsh artists Frank Brangwyn
and Augustus John, who once
documented the First World War
as war artists. Dan is now just one
of two official war artists in Wales
today. And it was in 2011 that Dan
spent a month in Afghanistan with
the Queen's Dragoon Guards,
known as the Welsh Cavalry,
capturing their life, their struggles,
and their work. In a world of smart
phones and instant imagery, Dan's
original art captured the essence of
the work carried out over a century
ago by Brangwyn and John.
But Dan's story starts right here in
Rhiwbina.
"My wife Caroline and I have had
connections with Rhiwbina over
many years. As early as the 1930s
my grandfather, Jack Peterson
(fighting name Petersen), a famous
boxer back then, used to run
through Rhiwbina as part of his
training and earlier still, he was
32
Dan Peterson is only one of two official war artists in Wales. The Rhiwbinabased
artist tells the tale of his time documenting the war in Afghanistan
a Boy Scout and Scout Leader
with 1st Rhiwbina Scouts. He was
awarded the King’s Scout Award
there.
"When Caroline was little, she used
to visit her aunt and uncle who lived
on Groes Lôn."
Dan's love of creating visual art
stretches back many years.
"My first job was as a trainee sign
writer back in the days when signs
were still mostly painted by hand.
In fact, the gold leaf lettering on
the shop front that we now run was
painted by Adrian of Fresh Graphics
in Tudor Lane, who was my mentor
and work colleague nearly forty
years ago.
"I bumped into Adrian when
working with specialist joiner,
Lazron Matia, a past resident of
Rhiwbina, who was making some
beautiful bi-fold doors for me in his
workshop.
"After my trainee role, I then
worked as an illustrator for the
Heritage Coast in the Vale of
Glamorgan before going to the
Cardiff School of Print to study
graphic design and printing."
Dan's formative years included
plenty of corporate work in the field
of graphic design, creating powerful
visuals for businesses across the
country.
"From there, I spent years in that
field," says Dan, "first for Cardiff
University and then a number of
design agencies across the city