Tere Perry

Mixed Media

A Bit About Me

Art has been my passion and my vision for as long as I remember. Growing up as the child of a teacher mother who painted in oils and an engineer father who sculpted western bronzes, I received lots of support for my interest in pursuing art as a career.” Having used a variety of artist materials throughout the years, Tere has of late been refining her colored pencil skills. “When people see my drawings, they’re surprised that I work in colored pencil. I love the precision of pencils, the richness and range of colors possible through layering using several different brands of artist-quality pencils on archival paper. Layering as many as 30 colors in one area of a colored pencil painting gives me the ability to reproduce the details and nuances in the subject to create an almost photorealistic image.”

Tere Perry lives on the Mainland, but her heart and her art are on the Island. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Sam Houston State University, with a Specialization in Advertising and Graphic Design. The specificity of the degree allowed her to experiment in numerous art illustration mediums in her quest to create images on paper that could be mistaken for photographs. Also skilled in 3-D design, Tere creates one-of-a-kind sculptures using polymer clay as the medium. Whether whimsical or realistic, her figurative sculptures convey a moment in time, as if they were three-dimensional snapshots. From the expressive faces to the action implied by the pose and gesture of the figures, Tere’s sculptures convey an emotion captured for eternity with collectible pieces to make you think, or make you laugh. Also using polymer clay, Tere creates scale miniature foods that look good enough to eat. Working from photos, she is able to create realistic foods right down to the exact textures and colors. “For someone who doesn’t cook, I probably have the largest collection of cookbooks around. They’re my reference books for reproducing the real world in miniature, one tiny little piece at a time.”

Artist Statement

In my art, I strive to reproduce what I see with my colored pencils, reproduce what I think with my pen and inks and reproduce what I imagine with my polymer clay.

My work captures individual moments and emotions in time, and imagines unique fantastical moments out of time. I turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

My goal is to spark the imagination of the viewer. To make them wonder what moment would happen next, to dream of what that unique captured moment would lead to and to create the narrative of the next line in that unique moment in time.

Awards & Honors

Second Place “Tiny Things” Juried Show, From the Heart Gallery

First Place “Roaring Twenties” Juried Show, From the Heart Gallery

Best of Show, “Spring” Juried Show, Elkins Lake

First Place “Foods of the World” Juried Miniature Show, National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts

First Place “Circus” Juried Miniature Doll Exhibitions, Dolls in Miniature Magazine

Solo Exhibition

Masterson Design, River Oaks, Houston, TX – Works in ceramic

Group Exhibitions

Storybook Dolls, TAODA – Pinocchio sculpture and vignette

Storybook Dolls, TAODA – The Borrowers sculpture and vignette

Storybook Dolls, TAODA – Princess and the Pea sculpture and vignette