Meet Gary Perrone | Fine Artist & Creativity Originator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gary Perrone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gary, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
Whether to sever completely from my corporate career to pursue my fine art and other personal creative interests. I knew it would be risky at this stage in my life but I was intensely unhappy and I walked away when it became toxic.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was an “artsy” kid. I was always drawing signs and logos and I was fascinated with “brands”. Even today I devour old clips of the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. In high school art class I did a post-apocalyptic pen and ink drawing for which I received some kind of art award. My art teacher, Ms. Pendleton thought I had talent and encouraged me to apply to art colleges, which I did. The Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford accepted me and I graduated with a vastly broader perspective and a degree in Advertising/Design. My father especially was dubious regarding my higher education choice as he felt fine art was not a real career. Once I earned the degree he arranged an interview for me with the design firm of one of his suppliers.

The firm hired me in January 1984 and I went to work in Manhattan. The firm designed packaging for several of the largest cosmetics companies in the world. It was a small shop on West 57th Street and they didn’t like me, but my creativity was undeniable. A few months later I was invited to join a much larger firm on Madison Avenue, so naturally I accepted. What I learned in three years as Art Director at this new company was immeasurable and has stayed with me my entire career. I was always valued for my artistic flair and sophisticated vision. I designed packaging, displays and hundreds of elements surrounding the marketing of designer fragrances and cosmetics.

From there I freelanced for ten years doing graphic work for anyone who would pay me. It was a very challenging time. I tested positive for HIV, which was life-changing to say the least. I moved to Dallas, Texas in 1990 partly because I heard it was easier to get treatment. When I got to Dallas I cold-called every design firm, every department head of corporate offices, responded to ads, joined groups and got called in to see the design team with Visual Merchandising at the JCPenney headquarters. For five years I remained as a contractor on-site who was basically an idea-generator. I learned how to create graphics on their new Macintosh computers at an impressive rate and with great professionalism. My work was limited to Home Products, Decor and Luggage.

I did brief two-year stints at Dr.Pepper/Seven-Up, where I learned the beverage industry and SABRE where I created internal marketing programs for the airline industry. I came to dislike corporate art departments. I became an “Agency Guy” in 1999 when I got a position as Art Director at the Dallas office of a larger Minnesota ad firm. I worked on promotional marketing campaigns for several huge CPG clients in food, telecommunications and countless others. My seemingly endless creativity and drive to create and succeed kept me going all this time. I advanced tremendously in my career, and it was always because I was the “artsy guy”.

I started painting seriously in 1999. I painted at night and on the weekends. I desperately wanted to create something that was only mine. I realized my professional creative work was someone else’s vision of my ideas. As a professional creative I strived to keep my ideas and vision intact. Sometimes that was the hardest challenge. I did not like when my ideas were watered down and neutralized of their “active content” as I call it. So I fought and was generally successful but not always well-liked.

By 2006 I had been invited to exhibit my paintings at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary in Dallas and was exhibiting my paintings at a lovely coffee shop in Victory Park. I sold several fabulous pieces and felt I had a shot. I worked at the agency by day and continued painting and promoting my art, entering juried shows, etc.

More than anything I wanted my paintings to be original. I am not a protege nor am I interested in creating anything derivative. I searched my mind, my spirituality, my humanity for the thing I would paint. I made many attempts and no matter how disappointing the result I kept believing I would find an angle that suited me. I was led to this; there is no “nothing”. I thought about neurons and quantum mechanics (I know that sounds nuts) also visual deconstruction and abstraction. That is what I started to paint, using color and brushstroke techniques to express this visualization of thought in a unique way.

Over the past 24 years my art has evolved and that has been very exciting. My entire life, career whatever you want to call it has been based on my desire to create beautiful things. It is not easy to turn nothing into something beautiful. Every idea for every logo, every packaging design or poster, every painting or drawing is firmly founded in my pleasure to create beautiful art.

In 2012 I changed careers once more and spent five years as one of the top Art Directors for the agency that handled the advertising account for a leading jewelry company. It was the most demanding position of my career and my painting and self-promotion efforts languished. I entered an annual holiday cooking contest and my “art cookie” won a finalist award. I have won all kinds of awards throughout my career in advertising. They never meant much to me. The cookie award was special and I capitalized on custom cookie orders for quite awhile afterwards, in my spare time of course.

In 2017 my agency career ended and since then I have been devoted to my personal creative efforts. My paintings are evolving in an exciting way and I have learned to be patient and true to myself. I have to take in stride the fact that no gallery has ever expressed an interest in my work, no matter the exposure. The fact is I have a fundamental issue with art as a commodity. I think galleries are unfair and oligarchic. I have learned that true creative people live in an often unfriendly world. I want the world to know my art and paintings are designed to be an antidote. They provide beauty and a place for the eyes to rest and perhaps take the mind to a place of tranquility and focus. I want people to appreciate all art and actually support artists. It seems the nation no longer supports the Arts collectively, as it once used to and there are no social safety nets for creative people unless they work in a corporate or educational environment. Pay-to-play can be very challenging for struggling artists of all stripes.

It would be great if more people visited my website, www.perronestudio.com. It is a repository of personal artwork, illustrations and a visual display of my corporate work over the years. I am adding to an Exclusive Collection of art pieces that are for sale and very reasonably priced. The Blog represents both my love for writing and my observations, mostly about art, but not always.

Brands do not really matter to me although I helped many people and companies with their branding. Never, in all the years I was in marketing and advertising did my name appear on anything I designed or had a hand in designing. When I complete a painting or illustration and sign my name to it, that is a significant moment. I cannot think of anything more rewarding personally and spiritually. My fine art does not come with any promise nor guarantee of financial reward and I continue to create because that is what I do.

My current paintings involve the tiny flowers that cover the fields in early spring and are largely ignored, trod on and eaten by animals and insects. When looked at closely the perspective is very different – complex, organized, rhythmic.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Seeing as my best friend and I share many common interests I would take her to the kinds of places I know she would like. For instance, I know she loves Highland Park, so we might go to a movie there. We love to walk and would surely go downtown to the Warren Park and most likely the Nasher. We both love the DMA but especially the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art. and both Arts Districts. We love to eat and the food trucks are OK, but we always go to Oak Cliff for a meal or two. Another favorite activity is strolling in and out of galleries and I like the taco stand on Irving Blvd.

We love to ride bicycles. I rode around Dallas for many years so I would take my friend for an epic ride on the Trinity River Trails and across some of the bridges. Maybe around White Rock Lake and the Arboretum. Btw, we love the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. There is so much music around DFW – excellent music and venues, but we would most likely opt for a more formal evening at the symphony or a dance performance at the Arts Center.

There are terrific restaurants everywhere you turn in DFW. I love to cook and I would definitely want to impress my friend. All of my friends like my cooking but this friend would want to go to Central Market and Whole Foods to watch me pick the ingredients. I like to show off and I love to see the reaction of my guests. She still talks about a particular Thanksgiving from years ago.

I would bring her out here to Titus County, two hours east of DFW to show her the stunning vistas and a different way of life. This is rural America and it can be like night and day. She is a vegetarian so this would be a day trip.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow. First, my dear partner of 20+ years, John. He has always loved my creative perspective and encouraged me to make art because he knows it makes me happy. We have been through a lot together. My family, of course has been very supportive my entire life. And it has become a large family. My talented nieces and nephews all came up in the DFW area and I am so proud of them. Many people in Dallas helped me since I first arrived there in 1990. David Hearn at JCPenney, who invited me in for a group portfolio review after which I was hired as a “freelancer”. Thanks to the folks at Penney’s who kept me going professionally for over five years; Nancy L., Robert T., Ronny D., Bob Brown and others. Many many thanks to Jim Hradecky with whom I worked and collaborated on terrific projects, at his agencies for almost 15 years. And Thank You to everyone who possesses one of my art pieces and routinely tell me how valued they are.

Website: https://www.perronestudio.com

Instagram: @rareprogeny

Linkedin: Gary Perrone

Facebook: PerroneStudio

Youtube: Gary Perrone @rareprogeny

Image Credits
The blue wall image was supplied by www.freepix.com. All the images were staged, photographed, edited and color corrected by myself (©Gary Perrone).