Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Stubbed Toe (White)”
Summary
A stark black-and-white screen print depicting a foot in profile whose big toe has morphed into a rearing, open-jawed serpent, ringed by radiating impact lines that read as a burst of pain. The image turns the everyday agony of a "stubbed toe" into a Cleon Peterson visual pun, distilling his usual themes of bodily violence and brutality into a single graphic, almost emblematic motif.
Why It Matters
Stubbed Toe (White)" shows Peterson working in a tighter, more iconographic register than his crowded scenes of clubbing mobs and writhing figures. Stripped to one foot, one serpent, and a halo of pain-lines, it concentrates his signature flat black-on-white palette and high-contrast graphic language into a near-pictographic emblem. The serpent-as-toe nods to the snake imagery that runs through his classically inflected work and recalls the flattened figures of Greek vase painting and the punchy clarity of street art, while the radiating lines lend a comic-strip immediacy. As a small, wry meditation on pain and the vulnerability of the body, it offers an accessible, design-forward entry point into his violence-and-power vocabulary.
Collector Perspective
Released in 2022 as a screen print in a very small edition of 17, this is among the scarcer Peterson editions on the market by sheer print count, hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist (signature lower right, edition number lower left). The minimal black-on-white treatment and modest sheet make it a comparatively affordable, graphic-forward Peterson rather than one of his large multi-figure statement prints, which keeps demand steady among fans of his iconography. With only 17 impressions, supply to the secondary market is thin, so availability is opportunistic; condition and clean margins matter at this edition size.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) built his reputation through the 2010s on flat, high-contrast scenes of violence, power, and social conflict rendered in black, white, red, and gold, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth, and street art, and collaborating frequently with Shepard Fairey. "Stubbed Toe (White)" dates to 2022, a period in which Peterson continued issuing tightly editioned screen prints alongside his larger paintings and sculptures, here paring his imagery down to a single emblematic motif of bodily pain rather than a crowd scene.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A foot shown in profile whose big toe has transformed into a rearing, open-mouthed serpent, surrounded by radiating lines that signal a sudden burst of pain — a literal, graphic pun on the experience of stubbing your toe.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 17 impressions, making it one of the smaller Cleon Peterson print editions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed in pencil by the artist (lower right) and numbered (lower left) as part of the edition of 17.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2022, in Peterson's characteristic flat black-on-white palette.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast images of violence, power, and social conflict that draw on Greek vase painting, Hogarth, and street art; he is also a frequent Shepard Fairey collaborator.
Related Works
About the Artist
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict, rendered in a flat, limited palette of black, white, red and gold. His chaotic compositions of fighting, clubbing and writhing figures expose the abuse of power and the brutality beneath civilization’s surface, drawing on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. A frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey, he shows internationally; his prints, sculptures and editions are widely collected in the urban-contemporary market.
Collecting Cleon Peterson at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Cleon Peterson prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Cleon Peterson prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Cleon Peterson prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Cleon Peterson and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.