Jenny Pery

Artist’s Statement


JENNY PERY trained as a painter and printmaker in Exeter and London.   Much of her current work, which at the moment concentrates on etching and monotype, is concerned with the landscape, the semi-abstract images being derived from drawings made from observation in numerous sketchbooks.   She is also an art historian and has written many monographs on 20th century and contemporary artists.

Date of birth            Born in Calcutta, India, on 19 August 1940
 
Education               1951-57   Cranborne Chase School
                                 1958-61   Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
                                                 (MA   Russian & French)
                                 1979-80   Part-time painting student Glasgow School of
                                                  Art (taught by James Robertson)
                                 1980-84   St Martins School of Art, The Byam Shaw
                                                 School of Art, Exeter College of Art & Design
                                                 (BA Fine Art) (taught by Karl Weschke)
                                 1995-97   Camberwell College of Arts (MA Printmaking)

CAREER
1984-2009         Painter   Printmaker   Art Historian
Chairman of the 21 Group, member of Plymouth Society of Artists, and contributor to many mixed exhibitions in the South West
Solo exhibitions:
•    Exeter & Devon Arts Centre 1991
•    Brewhouse Gallery, Taunton 1991
•    Footstool Gallery, St John's Smith Square, London 1992
•    Mary Ogilvie Gallery, St Anne's College, Oxford 1993, 1994, 1996
•    Exeter & Devon Arts Centre 1994                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
•    Cherif Fine Art Gallery, Tunis 1994
•    Theatre Royal, Plymouth 1995
•    Oban Art Society, Argyll 1997   
•    Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford 1997
•    The Staff House, University of Birmingham 1998
•    The Chapel Gallery, Saltram House, Plymouth 1998
•    The Plough Arts Centre, Bideford 1999
•    Reed Hall, University of Exeter 2000
•    Dartington Cider Press, Dartington 2001
•    The Gallery, Shepherds Market, London 2002
•    Kelly College, Tavistock 2003
•    Harbour House Gallery, Kingsbridge 2004
•    Broughton House Gallery, Cambridge 2005
•    Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey 2006
•    Birdwood House Gallery, Totnes 2007
•    Birdwood House Gallery, Totnes 2009
Researched, curated, and wrote catalogues for major exhibitions:
•    Solomon J Solomon RA (Ben Uri Art Society, London 1990)
•    Claude Rogers Paintings & Drawings (Ben Uri Art Society 1992)
•    John Dodgson Paintings & Drawings (Fine Art Society,London 1995)
•    Painters & Sculptors of the South West (Messum’s 2002)
•    The Elemental North – Yorkshire Painters (Messum’s 2005)
•    Andrew Hemingway (Messum’s 2006)
•    Dominic Welch (Messum’s 2009)
Major biography of Claude Rogers published 1995:
•    The Affectionate Eye - The Life of Claude Rogers (Sansom 1995)
Monographs/ biographies of painters:
•    Caziel - The Grand Play of Light (AM1997)
•    Robert Jones (Halsgrove 1997)
•    Edward Piper (Messum’s 2000)
•    Edward Piper – Nudes (The Old Laundry Press 2000)
•    By the Look of Things – The Life and Art of Robert Organ (Sansom 2003)
•    Alan Cotton - On a Knife Edge (Halsgrove 2003)
•    Eyton’s Eye – Anthony Eyton: A Life in Painting (Royal
Academy Publications 2005)
•    Painter Pilgrim – The Art and Life of Tristram Hillier (Royal            Academy Publications 2008)
•    Daphne Todd (Messums 2008)
•    Benedict Rubbra – Point of Balance (due for publication by Halsgrove October 2008)
•    A Being More Intense – the Art of Six Wood Engravers (Oblong 2009)
Other publications: The Visionary Gleam (20 Devon artists Transactions2001)
Exhibitions organiser at Exeter & Devon Arts Centre 1985-87
Part-time assistant at Spacex Gallery, Exeter 1987
Regular Arts writer for Event South West 1985-88
Articles and reviews published in Arts West and Contemporary Art
Articles for exhibition catalogues of work by Anthony Eyton RA, Robert                Organ, Robert Jones, Michael Honnor, Mildred Bendall, Edward Piper, Lilian Colbourn, Nadine Lundhal, Brian Rice, Bridget McCrum, Andrew Hemingway, Daphne Todd OBE, David Andrew, Len Tabner, Dominic Welch
Articles on Solomon & Rogers for the new Dictionary of National Biography
Articles on many contemporary artists for the Scottish Field, Devon Life, the Devon Association yearbook

1963-79      Married and moved with husband to a variety of places, bringing
                   up children and doing mainly voluntary part-time work             
             *     Research assistant Department of Soviet Studies, University of
             *     Glasgow 1964
             *     Secretarial work for P-E Consulting in Istanbul, Turkey 1965               
             *     Started and ran first pre-school playgroup in Argyll  1967-76
             *     Part-time French teaching at Oban High School, Argyll 1968-69
             *     Private coaching in French 1969-70
             *     Opened and ran gift shop in Oban with three partners 1969-75
             *     Founded and ran Oban Art Society 1971-79
             *     Started and ran first Family Planning Clinic in Oban area (later
                   taken over by National Health Service) 1970-73

1961-63    PA to Dr James, Editor of Russian Division, Pergamon Press Ltd

1957-58       Assistant at Mary Glasgow & Baker Ltd (Languages Publications)