Recognized as a pioneer in both the “instant art” movement and in postmodern photography, Peter Astrom was one of the first artists to scavenge the streets of the Lower East Side for objects to put into the newly invented Xerox color copying machine and produce images. In 1981, his camera-less Xerox prints were published in the Time-Life book The Art of Photography. During the 1980s, Astrom shifted his creative focus to painting. Throughout this decade the artist ventured from using forceful brushstrokes and strong colors on canvas to a more intricate and delicate palette, letting some of his Swedish heritage and love of nature surface, despite a style thoroughly rooted in American expressionism.