Between train cars and mopeds, and over the course of thousands of miles, Pat Perry slowly realizes his dream of busting outside the confines of the mundane. All too often that monotony can squelch creative impulses, but this intrepid illustrator is pretty determined to avoid that at all cost. After getting in touch with Pat over email, we exchanged a few wayward text messages and in the end, missed each other in Chicago. It was between stops on this summer expedition of his, that he was able to answer some questions about the nature of his incredibly detailed work.
In a modern art era where so much is done digitally, Pat’s calculated and surreal illustrations bend back the paradigm by once again elevating work elaborated by a traveler’s hands. His illustrations feels perfectly proportioned, almost as if in motion. Less reliance on symmetry and more focus on flow. There’s an energy about the continuity and vibrance of his images, whether the color scheme is brilliant or tempered, and his ability to satisfy a breadth of clients while still solidifying his fine art itch is admirable. Pat is dedicated to staying on his creative toes, which only means good news for those of us who know he’s on to something.
EL: Pat! We tried to link up when you passed through Chicago, sorry we couldn’t make it happen… glad you enjoyed my city though…
Pat Perry: It was a good trip, I rode a moped to Chicago from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Some of my favorite people live in Chicago, and we spent the next week making mischief. Quimby’s bookstore was amazing as usual. After a week I had to escape, so I was picked up by my buddy Rattlesnake Jones and his dog Ivy Lou in an old ford van that we drove all the way to Virginia.
EL: Nice man…what had you been up to before the travelling? I bet drawing creepy, painstakingly intricate illustrations was part of it…
Pat Perry: This summer has been spent mostly traveling and working on personal art pursuits through sketchbook entries and photography. In the past two months I ‘ve been through about 20 states and hopped freight trains over 2,500 miles. Traveling is the best way I’ve found to liberate myself from the illusions of my own small life. In certain ways, I’ve learned more spending nights under an overpass talking to an old rambling man than in classrooms. To grow as an art maker, I must grow as a person. To grow as a person, I have to toss myself into the unknown!
EL: I like the outlook. Have you always been an illustrator? Ever dabbled in other creative pursuits?
Pat Perry: I have always loved drawing, and picked up painting along the way too. Mostly my creative endeavors have spanned between the realms of illustration and fine art. I’ve always hoped that one day I’d make a film… cinema and movies fascinate me.
EL: You’ve worked for some fun clients. Do you think your work suits a certain type of company, and what made your favorite client (whomever that has been) so good to work for?
Pat Perry: I’ve had such great luck with clients. Almost always, the clients I work with are respectful, open to new ideas, and enthusiastic. I would like to think that I can shape my work for several different types of companies, that’s the whole challenge of illustration, right? I’d like to think that I can usually communicate ideas between myself and the client to the point that we’ll achieve the tone and feeling they’re looking for. I have a lot of favorite clients, one fantastic one this year was T-Post. They gave me a news story to base an illustration off of, and then they printed it as a tee. This was such a fun project and they let me experiment quite a bit with my final design.
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