Vanessa Perry

I’m Vanessa Perry, a visual artist and photographer living by the coast in southeast England. I’ve always been drawn to water—not just how it looks, but how it feels—and that shows up a lot in my work. I paint mainly in oils and often build up surfaces with plaster, which makes my paintings quite physical. Photography has been part of my practice from the beginning too, especially black and white—it helps me study light and shape in a different way.

Watch my interview here.

I studied at Chelsea College of Art in the late '80s, originally focusing on photography, and taught myself to paint around the same time. Since then, I’ve shown my work at places like the Great Northern Art Show and the Affordable Art Fair. My first solo show, The Dominating Factor, was in 2003 and told a story through 20 paintings. In 2006, I curated an exhibition for Vodafone, which led to a corporate commission and a nomination for a community award.

The Vanessa Perry Gallery is where I share and sell my artwork and From Something Imagined is where I share my photography collections. 

Outside the studio, I’ve worked in executive support roles at BBC Studios, All3Media, and Vodafone—jobs that taught me a lot about structure, organisation, and quiet creativity. I’ve also studied counselling and transactional analysis to better understand communication and emotion, which has definitely shaped the way I make and talk about art.

These days, I’m focused full-time on creating work that connects with people—especially those in the wellbeing space. My latest project, Sea Scripts, returns to the ocean as my constant collaborator.