About


Hello, my name is Vanessa and I'm a visual artist based on the South East Coast of England.

After studying at Chelsea College of Art London in the late 80's, I worked as a photographer. At the same time I taught myself how to paint with oil paint. I've focused mainly on working with oils ever since. My work is described as Abstract Expressionist. I draw my inspiration from the sea, the movement of water and the abundant nature I am surrounded by here on the coast.

My process starts with colour, and from there I create texture by applying plaster to my canvas with a palette knife. This texture helps me form the composition. I use oil paint and mixed media to create the layers and build the texture.

I had my first solo show in 2003, 'The Dominating Factor'. I exhibited twenty paintings and drawings, all of which marked several important milestones in my life. For me, painting is a way to express and learn from my experiences, almost providing me with a catalogue of my past.

You can read the full review from this show below.

The Dominating Factor review

In 2006 I curated (and exhibited in) the first ever Vodafone Limited Art Exhibition in Newbury, Berkshire. This event was a lot of fun and hard work to put together. A large number of pieces sold, and a donation from each sale was made to the charity, Youth Net. I was honoured to receive a nomination for a Community Award from the charity. During the same year I was commissioned by Vodafone to draw a 'Vodafone Corporate Dream Board' after attending a workshop with the Corporate Sales Team.

In 2007 I launched the Vanessa Perry Gallery, my online gallery, and in 2019 I launched fromsomethingimagined.com which has a number of collections of my black and white photography.

In addition to participating in a number of collective shows, my work has been shown at the Great Northern Art Show in Harrogate and the Affordable Art Fair in Bristol. Most recently, in March this year, my work was exhibited at ArtSpace London, St Katharine Docks.

Giclée prints of my paintings are popular with a number of my clients. Usually, I receive requests for fine art prints if one of my paintings is no longer available, or the painting of interest isn't quite the preferred size. In these circumstances, purchasing a fine art giclée print, produced on archival paper, is an excellent way to invest in my work. You can view a small selection of available prints here.

As 2025 begins, I'm looking forward to participating in a couple of mixed shows this year, which I'll post about in due course. I'm currently working on a new collection entitled 'Sea Scripts'.