P.A.R.C. Mag Issue # 5 | Page 39

P.A.R.C. Mag: Have you ever displayed any of your work in galleries? Art shows? Have you made any sales? What types of people have bought your paintings?

Kerry: "I have displayed in East London. My most recent exhibition was at the Candid Arts Trust Gallery in Islington, London. The gallery is quite Bohemian in its vibe and style, attracting some really good talent. It’s charity-based, running life drawing classes, workshops and also assisting newly qualified graduates to get their work out there.

P.A.R.C. Mag: I also exhibited last December at the Angel Christmas fair in Islington. I sold some of my paintings and black and white cards which I had individually hand-drawn. It was the first time that I had actually made and sold cards, so I wasn’t sure how well they would go down, but people really liked them and I sold quite well. I was so happy when I sold my first one. My friend was like, “Well done, now you can afford to buy yourself a coffee!”

Kerry: "It’s interesting to meet the people who buy my work because they come from different walks of life, cultures, ages, well-known and unknown. That’s just how I like it. I had a grandmother who bought a painting for her 3-year old granddaughter, a middle-aged man who had been recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, a lady who bought for her young daughter-in-law and so on."

"There’s a talented musician I know who comes from my area who really likes one of my paintings but I’m reluctant to sell it to him as I like it myself! It’s on my wall at the moment and I’m pretty sure it’s going to stay there for a while…"

P.A.R.C. Mag: What is your creative process like? Do you listen to music? Do you read something inspirational and draw inspiration from that?

Kerry: "I paint and draw at home. I like to be at home as opposed to using a studio because I work to relatively medium sizes, so I don’t need the space that a studio offers. I have an art room which is sufficient, but most importantly I like the energy of being in my own home when I work, even if it’s in the garden which is great in the summer."

"My creative process is instinctive and so I would have to generally describe it as spiritual. I think that when anyone draws or paints creatively, something of the artist’s inner self can be seen in the work. This is how art therapists are able to interpret thoughts and feelings. My art pieces are very spiritually meaningful."

"Like most people, though, I am always inspired by many things and many people. I love aboriginal and tribal art. I too use dots in most of my work, because for me there’s something delicate and magical about them. I like to spread light."

P.A.R.C. Mag: What was your first painting? Describe a little bit about it. When you first finished it, and what was your feeling towards it? Were you happy with the piece?

Kerry: "I think my first painting was a watercolor of an Iris flower that I did when I was 16. Previous to that I had only drawn. I was taught how to paint it using a specific design process which is done by a grid. The measurement was an exact calculation, very mathematical and precise, hence the flower came out perfect. I don’t have it anymore but it was a beautiful Iris, purple and blues with yellow if I remember correctly. I haven’t used this method since, but lots of artists get their work in proportion this way."

P.A.R.C. Mag: What types of paint do you use for your creations? How are you able to maintain your paint supplies? Have you ever used watercolor or oil paints?

"My artwork is a reflection of myself as it comes from me, my state of mind and aspects of my personality. Within my paintings and drawings, there is a suggestion of a journey through this life or another. I am hoping that there is happiness and progression there that people can either connect or identify with."

"People have often described some of my work as inspirational, expressing that they find things in them that they first did not see. Others have spoken of the child-like quality, suggesting a free spirit. I like to capture the essence of that free spirit which lives in all of us, dampened down or lost over time. I like my paintings to intrigue, uplift, heal and inspire."