Peter Brooke was born in 1961 in Concord, Massachusetts. As a child, he frequently accompanied his mother, who was a painter, on plein air sessions around Gloucester, where the family vacationed. His upbringing involved a lot of time spent playing in the woods and close contact with nature. Even though he took courses at the deCordova Museum and copied illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley and Arthur Rackham together with his brothers, it was not until enrolling in a high school figure-drawing class that Brooke considered pursuing art professionally. In 1983, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Painting from Denison University, and in 1986, he received a Master's degree from Mount Royal School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. 

Peter Brooke is known for his expansive, meditative landscapes that fuse memories of specific geographical locations with imagination. His first experience with fictitious landscapes dates back to high school, where he helped translate Lucian's True History, considered to be one of the first occidental fantasy books, from ancient Greek and illustrated the translation. However, it was only in graduate school that Brooke found his way back to the landscape through the encouragement of Hermine Ford. During that time, Brooke took a hiking trip to Wales, and upon his return, began finding his place in the natural world.  

Brooke paints predominantly in oil on wood panel. From afar, the glossy, smooth surface of his paintings can easily trick the viewer into believing they were not made by human hand: there is a certain iconic, solemn quality one senses, sometimes emphasized by titles that include the word "Altarpiece". This effect may perhaps be attributed to the ratio of sky and land that heavily prioritizes the former. Brooke's horizon lines are striking, sometimes softly disappearing into the fog, but often piercing the work. Upon closer examination, gentle brushstrokes are revealed, often imitating ripples on the water surface, foliage, and blades of grass. 

Brooke travels extensively to experience different terrain: Montana, British Columbia, Ireland, Burgundy, Italy. In Ireland, he developed a unique way to bring himself back into his memory of a landscape by using topographic maps. After returning from a hike, he would hang the marked-out maps and use them as a mnemonic guide. 

Brooke says he prefers to conjure, not repeat. His landscapes are galvanized by literature in equal part as they are by communion with nature, with earmarked books containing many of his notes in the margins. The writings of Diane Ackerman, Robert Macfarlane, and the poetry of Charles Wright have become longtime companions and sources of inspiration for his work. 

Peter Brooke lives and works in North Pomfret, Vermont. His works are part of many institutional collections, including The Art Complex Museum, La Salle University Art Museum, MFA Boston, and Yale University Art Gallery.