A collection of works on paper by Virginia-based artist Maggie Perrin-Key on view exclusively online April 1-30, 2023.
This work is about color, shapes, concentrated energy, the impact of working small, and a completely intuitive process. In my work I like to play with the difference between observation and intuition as guiding principles in image making, and this body is firmly in the latter category.
This body of work is in colored pencil. For these pieces, I always work on in the morning right when I wake up, and I do them at the desk in my bedroom. The physicality of these is interesting to me because I’m using a lot of concentrated energy on small pieces of paper, building up layers of pencil to get a very saturated and rich field of color. Drawing first thing when I wake up in the morning is part of my daily ritual and it’s very meditative. I’m using the most intuitive part of my brain because I haven’t talked to anyone yet or taken in any kind of media or information yet.
My color choice is very intuitive. Putting colors together is something I just love to do, and I feel like I know what colors I want to be next to each other. Specific colors have a personality and become characters; sometimes they want to be next to someone specific, or go to a color party with all their friends!
This is Maggie Perrin-Key's fourth exhibition at Charlotte Russell Contemporary. Perrin-Key is a contemporary artist who's bright paintings explore abstract elements of our physical world in an effort to build relationships with the subconscious. Perrin-Key has been showing her work regionally since completing her undergraduate studies in 2017. She is also a muralist, participating in community mural events as well as bringing her abstract shapes to over life size on walls and outside of buildings.
