About

Biography

Wayne Perry is an accomplished Los Angeles based artist, art fabricator, and educator.  He maintains a studio practice, where he produces ceramic art, paintings and prints for exhibitions and commissions. 

For the past 25 years, Perry has worked on over 50 public art projects throughout Los Angeles and California. As a ceramic tile mural fabricator, he has helped make over 30 large-scale art projects with renowned artists, such as Frank Romero, Kim Abeles, Roberto Gil deMontes, Elsa Flores-Almaraz, Judy Baca, Micheal Massenburg, Margaret Garcia, and Sonia Romero. He has been commissioned by The Getty, The Wallis Annenberg Center for The Performing Arts, The Pasadena Playhouse and the California Community Foundation. He has taught wheel-throwing workshops at the Getty Center, The Getty Villa, The Craft Contemporary, The WLCAC in Watts, The Ron Finley Project and The California African American Museum. Perry's technical and artistic mastery in ceramics and sculpture come from studying and working with artist Peter Shire, where he produced pottery, ceramic art and public art for 15 years. 

Currently, Perry works as a consultant for the Los Angeles Metro Public Art Program. He maintains and restores the extensive public art collection, as well as supports the fabrication and installation of new art projects throughout Los Angeles county. Additionally, he is a member of The Board of Directors at Self Help Graphics and Art, where he teaches ceramics workshops.

Artist Statement

 I was born, raised and live in Los Angeles.  My story is one of many untold stories of this sprawling, diverse city.  My work combines pottery, ceramic sculpture and painting to explore and express the current state of politics, community and personal histories.  LA has been called the "creative capital" of the world, but this idea excludes entire communities of artists, artisans, and keepers of tradition.   There is conflict between the picture perfect postcard, and our overlooked realities that make up the heart and soul of the city

My current work consists of wheel-thrown vessels, which are altered to humanize them and place them together to use the relationships between them to tell a story. I use unglazed clay bodies in black and porcelain white to convey contrasting and at times polarizing notions.  I like to work with terra-cotta, a clay typically used for  utilitarian purposes (roofing tiles, sewer pipes, bricks)  and elevate it to a level usually reserved for porcelain, playing with the perceived hierarchy of clay in my sculpture.  The Within the larger context of LA city life, my work consists of the untold  personal stories of struggle, relationships, traditions, uncovering and honoring them.