Today we’d like to introduce you to Perri Neri
Hi Perri, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
While taking a Design I class while working on my associates degree, I was fascinated by color theory and started to paint. I learned about composition by copying the works of art by artists that fascinated me —Georgia O’Keefe, Frida Kahlo, Leonore Fini, Francis Bacon, and Lucien Freud. In 1986, I spent about a year in New York City and enrolled in a beginner figure painting class at Parsons where I learned how to use oils and to paint from the live model. I continued painting classes at the local Arts Center when I returned to St. Petersburg. In 1995 I became a mother. Three years later I was divorced and pursuing my BFA degree. It took a while, but in 2005, I was accepted into the MFA program at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. By 2009, I was legally married to my wife. My daughter started high school in NYC, and I was a working artist and member of Ceres Gallery in Chelsea where I had a few solo exhibitions.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, not at all. I was not selling work. I made some money by giving private painting lessons. I had a commission here and there, but nothing steady. Home life was stressful and that took much energy to tend to. When my daughter went off to college, we sold the house and moved to New Jersey where I became part of the small-town Arts Commission. I slowly got back into a groove and was showing at The Painting Center in New York City. Then, four years later, another move. This time back to Florida where my wife could finish her PhD work and not worry so much about finances. I took a job for $16 an hour for the health insurance. My art once again took a toll. Eventually, our marriage ended and I moved back to New York City, this time by myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an abstract-figurative painter fascinated by the visceral palpability of being human. Evolutions of gestures, tones, impulses and sensations are worked into the raw side of the canvas, a metaphorical skin that absorbs the paint like how the body holds onto memories. Mapping out the miscellany of predicaments coexisting simultaneously, I am expressing what it feels like to be in this skin, in this moment, on this day.
I am most proud of being the founder of Refrigerator Poetry Visual Art Archive, The Artist’s Living Room, and The Artist’s Living Room Foundation, all with the mission of helping artists of all genres to inspire creativity, inclusivity, and collaboration while positively impacting future generations to embrace their unique artistic vision.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Making art can be something you do, but being an artist is something you are. My advice for the visual artist who does not want to compromise their unique vision for the marketplace is to get work somewhere within the art world while you are still young and keep making your art. Yes, it will be like having two full-time jobs, but the thing is, you are an artist no matter what you do to make money.
Find your circle of support from other artists, not just painters. Navigate the art world together. Support each other by attending exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, etc. Get out of your studio. Read the newspaper. Listen to the radio. Spend time with your family and friends. Why? Because art is a reflection of the time. Make art about who you are, your “time” and “place,” and your work will be interesting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.perrineri.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrineri_painter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perri.neri/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/perrineri?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=6b3fce7d-947c-4268-b1e1-b78fe781b3b4
Image Credits
All work done by me, Perri Neri.