Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Perry.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up on an old gold mine in Montana and was drawn to art from the time I was small child. I dug clay from the creek bank to model with and drew constantly on the margins of my paper in school, much to the disgust of my teachers. The town I was near was the site of Charley Russel’s first studio and the museum was full of small bees wax figurines that he had modeled as well as many fine paintings and bronzes he had done. I was fascinated by these and wanted to emulate them. My first bronze sculpture done many years later was sculpted in beeswax before I learned that there had been many better waxes and clays developed since Russel’s time. I went to college as an art major but after two quarters of art I was told I should add teaching credits and become an art teacher as I would never make a living as an artist. Even at eighteen that didn’t make sense to me and so I changed my major to the pre-vet curriculum. Montana did not have a vet school and marriage, a child and a busy ranch life kept me from going out of state to attend a vet school so that dream eventually died. We moved to Texas in 1979 and I suddenly had time to go back to my first love of sculpting. I cast my first bronze thinking I had always wanted a bronze for my coffee table but wound up entering it in a local art show. I won the sculpture division, sold two bronzes and never looked back. I have made my living now for thirty five years and although I will never attend vet school my largest piece is a monumental field of running horses in front of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences erected for their 100th anniversary, so in a way I did finally get to vet school.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The life of an artist can have many bumps along the road and it certainly helps to develop a thick skin. In the beginning, I was more successful than I probably should have been as money was flowing like the Texas oil when I first jumped in full time. By the mid-eighties the oil business crashed and so I added sculpted gold and silver jewelry to my art to broaden my market. About that same time, I also sculpted my first monumental bronze “Bill Pickett, Bulldogger” which stands in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historical District. This meant my work ranged from 1/4 inch in size to the nine foot tall bulldogger. More recently almost all my work is life-size and larger which I enjoy…
Please tell us about The Art of Lisa Perry.
I started out as a western artist but soon found myself drawn into equine sculpture as we were also actively involved in the horse business back then. The horse industry supported me with commissions of their horses, purchasing both my jewelry and bronzes at many equestrian events, and with many awards, articles magazine covers and recognition. I now have work at museums. universities, national sites, war memorials, athletic parks, cities and in private collections around the world. The subject matter now includes much more than horses. One of my most recent pieces was a Medal of Honor recipient from Vietnam, Sgt, Candelario Garcia in the Navarro County War Memorial in Corsicana. Others are historical figures, prehistoric animals and children. I am currently working on a life-size memorial figure, an equine piece with children and a racehorse for an Oklahoma racetrack.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
It has been quite a ride. My husband was the one who felt I could go places in the art world and pushed me every step of the way. He was the business man and promoter for this company. Sadly, he passed away last October and I am struggling to find my footing without him. I would never have pursued this path without his determination to let the world know about me. The art world can be a very competitive and bruising business with public commissions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lisaperry.com
- Email: lisaperry@earthlink.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Art-of-Lisa-Perry-110483708985317/
Image Credit:
TAMU CVM
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