ThePepperpotPalette

Hi! My name is Janna Perry. I am an artist/designer living on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. More specifically, I live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. I have always been an artist. I remember being in second grade and my teacher put a drawing I did in a frame on the classroom wall. That is such a special memory. Having a mother who is also an artist gave me a lot of experience in trying different styles and learning all of the ins and outs of showing art, hanging it, and even framing it. That was invaluable experience. As an adult, I spent many years raising my children. Pursuing art had to be put to the side, but it was never far away. I taught occasional children's summer art lessons, and I was always designing something, anything. I really enjoyed designing and making costumes for my kids for their various school projects throughout the years. In 2009, I started my first Etsy shop with my daughter. Back then, we had a forum on Etsy where people would put requests for someone to make something for them. So I made a lot of different things for people, from custom dresses to Custom-designed blankets to bingo tool carrying cases. I was all over the place! My daughter eventually tired of making jewelry and I moved on to making home goods such as uniquely designed potholders and kitchen linens, table napkins and such. I designed a unique grocery bag holder that I made with designer fabrics and that went really well. I moved on to making custom stuffed items. I had requests for stuffed garbage cans, fans, trees, and even hospital equipment. That always kept me thinking and designing and busy and I loved it. Then one day I had a request for a cheeseburger backpack. It was for a child who loved the show Steven Universe. So I made that. Then I got more requests for that. That line took off and I was continually busy making cheeseburger backpacks and messenger bags. I really enjoyed it for a while and business was good. I have always been proud of my work because it's not only novelty items, but the quality of my workmanship was always a priority.
Just as this was getting too big for me to handle, my dream job landed in my lap. I had the opportunity to become a costume designer/creator for a large local theatre group. Designing costumes and then bringing them to life was something I had only dreamed I would ever get to do. I jumped at the chance to do this and what fun I had! I loved every bit of it, from the designing/painting/drawing stages to the final curtain call. It was wonderful! For health reasons, I sadly decided to step down. Then Covid happened. I decided to delve into my art again, trying to understand myself and just where I found my joy. Since we were in lockdown, I had plenty of time to experiment and learn new techniques and styles. I spent most of the year turning acrylic pours into lovely mixed media textured resin paintings. I had never really liked abstract art until I started letting myself just let go and do it. I found I loved it!
My style has shifted somewhat. Why my work is still somewhat abstract, I am now focusing on my inspiration from the natural world around me. The wildlife, the sea life here on the Gulf coast, and nature in general are my true inspiration. I am finally feeling that I have found my niche. I love color and lots of it! Bright, rich, bold colors. I am so excited with this new avenue of art for myself. And I am enjoying it immensely. And it only took me 50 years to find it! I hope you can look at it and feel, well, something...anything. I want my art to evoke feelings in people. Even if it is disgust! lol I want people to see my art and feel the textures and see the curves and lines and all of the fine details and really fall in love with it all. I hope you enjoy my art as much as I enjoy making it.
Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my shop. And I wish you the very best.
xoxoxo
Janna