Judith Perry

Oil painting, watercolor and drawing

________________

Influences:

LH: Did you grow up in an artistic family?

JP: I was encouraged at home, but influenced largely through teachers.

LH: Who are the artists that influence your work that you know in person?

JP: Linda Fantuzzo in Charleston, SC,  Kent Lovelace on Whidbey Island, Susan Kraut and Susan Gottlieb of the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. I love Susan Gottlieb for her subject matter and creative use of materials. She does very large scale watercolors with beading in the shadows. While a student she painted what she knew: herself, standing in front of a bookshelf with books she had been reading and three hovering figures of the three women she would listen to on NPR while painting.

LH: Who is your favorite dead artist(s)? Style? Period?

JP: Lucien Freud for raw capturing of the figure (not pretty) and James Whistler for the beauty of contrast.

LH: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the art you create, or your artistic preferences?

JP: I love the NW for oil painting. I grew up in southwest Washington, in Raymond.  There is a softness there due to the fog and mist. I also lived in Hawaii for years and loved capturing the brilliant colors and foliage.

LH: What is it, specifically, about an artist’s work that draws you to it?

JP: What I admire in artists is how they pull my eye into their environment and show clear lines of light and dark.  The contrast can be breathtaking.

Your artistic direction:

LH: When is the first time you realized you were an artist?

JP: I first realized I loved art in elementary school when we had to make a book of pressed wildflowers.  I went overboard by making a cover of plywood with hinges (thanks to dad’s help), painted flowers on the front in enamel paint, and varnished it.  I loved it!

LH: Describe your first serious artwork.

JP: My first serious work was while studying at the Art Institute of Chicago.  It focused on figure drawing.  The challenge of drawing a model in short poses and eventually 3 hour poses, in an 8 hour day.  It was a great lesson in proportion as well as the undulating shapes and shadows.

Practical matters:

LH: How do you balance your art with other obligations – mate, children, job?

JP: I have always balanced work with art.  Painting was an evening and week-end commitment with occasional trips to draw or take workshops.  It is now a full time job.

Surroundings:

LH: What music do you listen to, if any, while making art?

JP: I listen to classical music while drawing and preparing to paint.  While actually painting, which is a different thought process, I listen to jazz or the Delgado brothers.

LH: If you could take a fantasy artist vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be? Your goal would be to soak in art history or to make your own art. Where would you go?

JP: Would love to go to Bilbao Spain to see art.  Have been to Paris and fell in love with the museums, the people and the architecture.

LH: What is one art tool or supply that you would take to your proverbial desert island?

JP: Japanese watercolor or sumi brushes. They are a work of art themselves.

LH: What is it like to be an artist in Edmonds?

JP: I’m fairly new to the area, but have found both residents and visitors appreciate art. I wish there were more serious galleries carrying work with an edge—both abstract and figurative work.

LH: Is your studio/workspace neat or not neat? — what does that say about you?

JP: My studio is about 14 x 14’ with shelving. There is good lighting and a large recycled teak southeast Asian desk where I do work on paper or calligraphy. Also I have a moveable easel for oils and a small desk top one for small pieces. In addition I have a Barcelona lounge for resting and thinking. At times the place gets out of control with paint tubes strung everywhere so I’ll spend time organizing and eliminating. I also gesso over old paintings I’m not fond of and I take care of the business aspect and read art books. Then I feel whole again!

Final words:

LH:  How do you know when a work is finished?

JP: I rarely feel that my work is finished. I have to stop and live with it for a few days before I can say, “This is it.”

LH: How do you get the word out about your work?

JP: I submitted to galleries in SC and Hawaii and was accepted.  I also enter competitions which moves the paintings into shows. I was recently accepted into the Women Painters of Washington and am in their gallery at the Columbia Tower in Seattle.  Also have a website and am developing a list for blast e-mailing of new work.

LH: What’s your ultimate direction for your art? Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years?

JP: Currently I’m showing with the Women Painters of Washington and in a gallery in Honolulu. Christopher’s in Edmonds also has a few pieces. I’m still experimenting, and I hope to continue finding new ways of seeing and expressing — and will until I’m gone.

_______________

Contact

Judith Perry

Studio 13

website:  judithperryart.com

e-mail:  judy@judithperryart.com