We recently connected with Lily Perry and have shared our conversation below.
Lily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
My mother is an artist and her mother was an artist as well so I’ve always been around art and enjoyed it. Straight out of college, I felt like I should take the “sensible” career path so I worked in fashion buying for many years after school. It wasn’t until after I had my first daughter that I decided to resign from my job and the intense schedule and travel that it entailed. Staying home with her I had more time to paint again and after a few years of painting as a hobby I decided that I didn’t want to go back to the corporate world and that I wanted to paint full time and make it a career.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Of course! I am an abstract painter based in Riverside, CT, which is right outside of New York City. I paint with different mediums including acrylic, house paint, graphite, sharpies and pastels. I enjoy adding unexpected elements such as glass, duct tape or fabric and enjoy exploring contrast and scale. I often paint commissions with particular spaces in mind and I truly enjoy the challenge of pulling elements of my clients homes into my work.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn is to “stay in your lane” I feel that so many artists are told to choose a style and stick with. I understand the desire for your work to have a “look” that people can recognize, but to me it’s far more important to keep pushing to learn and grow and explore new things. I first gained local fame for my dot series, which I still do and enjoy, but I feel the need to explore other styles for myself and for my clients, and now work in a wide variety of styles depending on my mood and my client’s requests.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding thing about being a painter is definitely that moment when I know a piece is finished. It’s such a rush to see the work, which usually goes through many stages, come together in a beautiful way. I also love seeing the finished pieces in their homes as art truly can transform a space.
Contact Info:
- Website: lilyperryfineart.com
- Instagram: @lilyperryfineart
Image Credits
vincent alongi photography