Polly Perkins

Artist Statement

In my artwork I explore the glories of the human and natural world. My imagery comes from deep personal experience. When I depict a bird, I approach it as a birder of many years. From my decades working in museums, it is natural for me to include label text and scientific names. My garden has inspired many prints and paintings, from beautyberry to bird nests.

Website and social media:
PollysStudio@Etsy.com
IG @polyphemus.polly
FB https://www.facebook.com/pg/pperkinsstudio

Recent shows include: " Beyond Words" exhibit at Florida CraftArts 2022; 24-Hands Printmaking Collective at University of Tampa Ferman Center for the Arts 2022; Petersburg College Crossroads Gallery 2021; PAVA CoolArt Shows 2016-2021; Dunedin Fine Art Center "Taste Of Art" People's Choice Award; Five Deuces Galleria 3-Artist Show, Oct 2019; 24 Hands Printmakers Studio@620, St Petersburg; PAVA Annual Membership Exhibit, Honorable Mention; "On Your Mark" ArtNow Printmaking, Ann Arbor Art Center, Michigan; Studio@620; 2015 All Florida Juried Show, Morean Arts Center, St Petersburg; Florida west coast outdoor art festivals, including Gasparilla and Gainesville. My work has been purchased by Tampa's "Art In Public Places," and is included in private and corporate collections.

Education:
Masters of Fine Arts from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art, Temple University
Printmaking at the University of Colorado and Rochester Visual Studies Workshop.

Biography

I'm a printmaker/painter with a focus on woodblock prints. I am fascinated by the layering of form, color and texture possible with this medium. The carving, inking and printing are both procedural and painterly. Most of my woodblocks are printed by hand, without a press. I also work in collage, using my own prints and painted papers to create new imagery and artist books.

I am a founding member of 24 Hands, a printmaking collective in the Tampa Bay region. In 2019 I was awarded a 2019 St Petersburg Arts Alliance Grant to continue my woodblock projects. I have participated in the Big Ink Workshop printing large woodblocks in Philadelphia 2018 and Morean Art Center in St Petersburg 2019.

My artmaking experience includes oil painting, lithography, silkscreen, murals, museum dioramas, life drawing, animated film, Illustrator / Photoshop graphics, photography and design. I'm retired from a 40 year career in museum exhibit design, including 18 years at The Florida Aquarium in Tampa FL.

Exhibition History (CV)

Awards