Natures Reverie - Annual Meadowlark Exhibition
May 19th – june 17th, 2023
toni onley gallery
Exhibition Artist:
Exhibition Opening event: May 19th @ 7pm
Artist Talk May 20th @ 1pm
Stephanie Perry joins the Penticton Art Gallery for her exhibit “Nature’s Reverie” in collaboration with the Meadowlark Bird Festival.
Stephanie was raised on the Northern most tip of Vancouver island in the small fishing village of Port Hardy BC, an upbringing that serves as inspiration for much of her work. Her love of adventure set her to leave the remote north island after highschool and get her diploma in Visual Arts from Camosun College and then go further to obtain her degree in fine arts from Concordia Montreal. During her time there she met her husband Michael Perry in painting and drawing class, which led to them returning to the west together after the program. Setting down roots for 12 years in Calgary which was her husband’s hometown, Stephanie obtained a teaching degree from the University of Calgary and began a short career teaching art in secondary schools throughout Calgary. After having their first child, Stephanie decided to stay at home and work on her craft whilst raising her growing family. Looking for a change in scenery the Perry’s moved to Penticton in 2015. She now paints full time while balancing homeschool life with her 2 children. She has paintings residing in collections throughout North America, Europe and Australia and continues to participate in arts and cultural events through the sale of her work.
“Natures Reverie” is a collection of Stephanie’s recent work within the last decade. Work that depicts her strong connection and interest in the natural world, and her desire to visually represent the emotions embodied in those connections. Her paintings describe a spiritual element in the happenings of nature. The divine embodiment of all that occurs, that was made to live in symbiosis with not only other elements of nature, but of ourselves as we are part of the landscape as well and not just passive observers.
In Stephanie’s words, “My process begins with concepts that I sketch using watercolors on paper, and a variety of ink, pens and acrylic paint to achieve compositions that utilize vibrant color and patterning. I employ the use of metallic paint and pens, Indian dot painting techniques, and traditional painting methods to create bold works that are whimsical, fantastical and surreal while still juxtaposing the “real”, so that I can honor the creatures of nature with the reverence that is deserved.
“This year, the 2023 Meadowlark painting “the Call of the Meadowlark” depicts the preciousness of the gift that nature delivers to all of us. In the case of the meadowlark, the gift is the song and the song represents the light. Perry began to visualize the song being like a pearl inside the mouth of the bird, slowly growing and becoming more beautiful and precious and for it to shape the world around it into something that emanated light and bold colors.
“Events such as the Meadowlark Festival remind the public about the beauty of animal life and the importance of the natural environment. To work towards protecting against human destruction of precious ecosystems through education and teaching. I was thrilled to be chosen to be part of it and for my work to represent this year’s efforts in reaching more minds and connecting with a wider audience.” ♦
