Vanessa Perry - The abundant nature artist and photographer.
- Isobel Arden
- May 2
- 6 min read
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Meet Vanessa Perry, a life of water and abstract expressionism.
Vanessa Perry is a visual artist and photographer whose work sits between memory and motion, often blurring the line between the abstract and the elemental. Based on the southeast coast of England, her practice is shaped by her proximity to the sea and a deep-rooted fascination with water—not as a commodity, but as a living, breathing source of inspiration.
In the interview, Mark and Vanessa explored Vanessa's work, created her fantasy cultural year and played the This or That game. Listen to the laughs, anecdotes, and conversational detours in the video above or on Spotify and SoundCloud below.
Vanessence's style
Known for textured, emotionally resonant paintings and striking black-and-white photography, Vanessa works from an instinctive place, describing her process as one of excavation as much as expression.
Her artworks are layered—physically with plaster and oil paint, and metaphorically with fragments of observation, feeling, and place. As she puts it, “People have questions, paintings have answers.”
The Shape of Beginnings
Vanessa’s journey into the visual arts began formally at the University of the Arts London, where she studied at Chelsea College of Art in the late 1980s. While her formal training was rooted in photography, she simultaneously began teaching herself to paint—choosing oil paint for its malleability and richness. Since then, she has maintained a steady commitment to both disciplines, often blending their influence to explore the interplay of light, shadow, texture, and tone.
First adventures
Her first solo exhibition, The Dominating Factor, took place in 2003 and featured twenty pieces that chronicled significant personal milestones. This show marked a turning point: a commitment to telling stories through paint, where texture—created with plaster and a palette knife—formed the foundation of her expression.
In 2006, Vanessa curated and exhibited in the inaugural Vodafone Limited Art Exhibition in Newbury, Berkshire. The event achieved strong sales and charitable impact, with a portion of each sale donated to Youth Net, earning her a nomination for a Community Award. That same year, she was commissioned by Vodafone to produce a 'Corporate Dream Board' following a creative workshop with their Corporate Sales Team.
Vanessa Perry Gallery + From Something Imagined
The following year, in 2007, she launched the Vanessa Perry Gallery, her online platform to showcase her evolving body of work. By 2019, she expanded her practice to include From Something Imagined, a digital gallery housing her photographic collections. Her photography, especially in black and white, functions as both standalone work and a springboard for her painting.
Vanessa’s artwork has featured at the Great Northern Art Show in Harrogate and the Affordable Art Fair in Bristol. Her Giclée prints—both of her paintings and photographs—are popular with clients drawn to her distinctive visual language, often referred to playfully by collectors as possessing the “Vanessence.”
Structure Behind the Studio
Alongside her artistic career, Vanessa spent over a decade in high-level executive support roles, including positions at BBC Studios, All3Media, and Vodafone. Her work behind the scenes was defined by discretion, clarity, and deep organisational competence—qualities that continue to inform her independent practice.
Educationally, Vanessa has also explored the psychological aspects of communication and creativity, completing a Certificate in Counselling at Spectrum College of Humanistic Studies in 2012 and a CPD programme in Transactional Analysis at Metanoia Institute in 2013.
Artistic continuation
Now working full-time as a visual artist, Vanessa continues to develop new collections from her coastal studio. Sea Scripts, is her new, fresh body of work that revisits her enduring muse: the sea in all its shifting moods.
Vanessa Perry's Fantasy Cultural Year
With a magic wand in one hand, a time machine warmed up, and a Star Trek transporter on standby, Mark sat down with visual artist Vanessa Perry to imagine her dream cultural year. You can watch the conversation in full above—or tune in via Spotify and SoundCloud below.
What followed was a creative, witty, and globe-trotting journey across art, music, food, and cathedrals, all infused with Vanessa’s signature blend of depth, playfulness, and sea-soaked instinct.
Cathedrals, Creativity, and Book Talk
Mark and Vanessa started their journey inside the hushed grandeur of Durham Cathedral, an imaginary rendezvous for book lovers. Vanessa shared her latest read, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, while Mark offered Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett—a sweeping novel of cathedral-building ambition. They both confessed our love for ancient stone, silence, and stories.
A Global Art & Wellness Mission
In a hypothetical scenario, Vanessa had been offered a a remarkable commission: travel the world to explore the intersection of art and wellbeing by a family foundation from the North of England. They were drawn to her work and eager to explore its possibilities. Her first stop? Sydney. There, with Dave Brubeck’s jazz echoing in her ears (her only music for a year, by the foundation’s whimsical rule), Vanessa was welcomed by young artists, a rooftop dinner, and an unforgettable dance performance.
Given the chance to choose any dance show on earth, Vanessa lit up with excitement. The destination didn’t matter—it was the rhythm and spirit she was after.
Cities, Food, and Playful Detours
Mark and Vanessa jumped from Sydney to Seville, where Vanessa once saw flamenco in a smoky courtyard, and Mark marvelled at the cathedral’s architecture. Their shared love of travel sparked a lively exchange about cities they adore, cuisines they crave (Thai for Vanessa), and unusual sports they might catch in Paris—like synchronised swimming between gallery visits.
A stop in the French capital would also include a trip to a new digital art gallery and perhaps dinner near the Seine. Always, the conversation circled back to art, light, and laughter.
Designing the Dream Cultural Week
Next, they plotted a fantasy cultural week together:
Monday: A historic pop concert—Vanessa chose Kate Bush, naturally.
Tuesday: A theatre play that goes hilariously wrong.
Wednesday: Evita on stage—Vanessa’s rare exception to her musical aversion.
Thursday: Bizet’s Carmen in Seville’s open-air opera house.
Friday: A cinema screening of the French film Art, which Vanessa recommended and I hadn’t yet seen.
It was a week full of passion, humour, and rich cultural colour—just like Vanessa’s work.
Hypotheticals and Hero Lunches
To wrap up, they stepped fully into fantasy mode. Vanessa imagined studying creativity for a year, then celebrating with a global art trip, finally free to choose her own music. Her pick? Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, of course.
For her hero lunch, she invited Van Gogh—a conversation she’s long imagined. Mark joked that Van Gogh might bring along Da Vinci, and they both agreed it would be a table full of intensity, genius, and maybe a few tears.
This or That?
They finished with a playful round of This or That, where Vanessa revealed her quirks and preferences, laughing all the way through.
Explore some of Vanessa Perry's work.
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