Faces in the Crowd – Pedro Paints The Town

“I have never found anything so relaxing. I was born to do this. I am so in my element when I am “bombing” (spray painting).”

Meet Pete Norman.

His streak of independence began early during his childhood in Labrador. The youngest of four children, Pete learned to live off the land, as access to many food products was limited. He learned how to snare rabbits and then turn them into a meal … the start of his cooking career. He also became an exceptionally good skater; a figure skater, even though his father wanted him to play hockey.

The family decided to move to Antigonish when he was 12. It felt like he was moving to California after the isolation of Labrador. As male figure skaters in Antigonish weren’t in vogue back then, he turned his significant energy to skateboarding. Pete remembers his teenage years fondly. “We didn’t have the internet at that time so just going out with friends was a great way to pass the time.” The gazebo at Chisholm Park was the epicenter of activity.

His father and mother split up when he was 13. He was a free spirit and a bit rebellious, often sporting a 12 inch Mohawk. He was attracted to people who weren’t mainstream. After high school, he tried his hand at cooking and was immediately hooked. “I read the book “Kitchen Confidential” and felt that I could have written it. I love the organized chaos of a restaurant kitchen.”

He was all over the map for a few years and realized that he needed his papers for cooking and completed a program at the Community College. There were some setbacks and wrong turns so, in 2010, Pete took his lifelong friend and constant companion, Kash, a pit bull, and headed to Dryden to reconnect with his dad.

A devastating leg fracture incurred while snowboarding was a turning point in his life. He returned to Nova Scotia and during two long years of rehab, pondered his future. To pass the time, he returned to sketching, something le learned in high school art class. One day he watched a documentary on graffiti art called “Style Wars” and he immediately knew what he wanted to do.

 “Pedro” (his pseudonym) began tagging anywhere he could. His goal was to make the landscape look better and he took the time to cover up bad (and often offensive) graffiti with something more esthetically pleasing. And there’s more to come. “I plan to do as many old barns around the county as possible.”

Pete laments the relocation of a well-known festival. “Evolve put us on the map. My next work is a tribute piece that will depict an artistic concept of evolution from simple life forms to advanced civilization.”

Antigonish is fortunate to have this energetic, passionate and creative individual. He will undoubtedly leave his mark on the landscape of this community.