Background
Petersen was born in Cardiff in 1944, the son of Jack Petersen (1911–1990), a boxer who held the British Heavyweight title on two occasions.
Petersen was born in Cardiff in 1944, the son of Jack Petersen (1911–1990), a boxer who held the British Heavyweight title on two occasions.
He is particularly known for his metal sculptures of dragons. Petersen worked in the GKN steelworks in Cardiff before studying fine art at Newport College of Art (1961–1965). Foreign several years Petersen led the Welsh delegation to the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany.
He resigned from the festival committee in 2008 in protest at the content of the Welsh pavilion.
Coal, Steel and Water (1989) National Millennium Beacon (1999) Postage stamp (1999) Howard Winstone (2001) Petersen was a Plaid Cymru candidate in the 1999 National Assembly election for the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency. He gained 2356 votes, 8.1% of the overall vote.
He is an elected member of the Royal Cambrian Academy, and has served as chairman of the British Artist Blacksmiths Association.