Jeffrey Perry draws a portrait of one of his clients.
Jeffrey Perry's painting.
Jeffrey Perry's painting.
Jeffrey Perry in action.
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Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer
DENBIGH, Clarendon:
JEFFREY PERRY has been capturing some of God's most beautiful creations through his drawings and at the same time making a living from it.
Perry, who hails from Old Harbour, St Catherine, has had a passion for drawing from a tender age.
"I have been drawing from primary school - from I was a child. I used to love look at things and draw what I see," he said. "I do believe that my ability to draw is a gift from God."
Perry developed his drawing skills while attending St Jago High School and continued along that path after leaving high school. "I kind of gravitated towards drawing faces, doing portraits, and over the years, I have developed that art," Perry disclosed.
"I just developed this love for doing portraits more than anything else. I paint landscapes and portraits in oil and acrylic on canvas, but right now, I am more focused on doing portraits with charcoal drawings."
Perry began doing art as a profession 10 years ago and has travelled all across Jamaica drawing and selling his work. "Most of the time I take my work to a couple of galleries in Kingston such as Island Art, Pegasus Gallery," he said. "I do a couple of places on the north coast, where I do portrait drawings - places such as FDR hotel, Beaches in Negril, and many more resorts all across Jamaica."
Fascinates people
He said people have shown interest in and love for his work over the years. "People love especially the live drawing. That is what fascinates people the most. It gives me a good feeling when they (clients) get up and see their portraits. It's a lovely feeling when you see that satisfaction on their faces. That is the joy that I get, and that payment is more than the money."
Rural Express caught up with Perry at the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, where he was busy doing portraits while curious individuals looked on.
"I have been coming to Denbigh for the last three years," Perry said. "Denbigh has always been good to me. I do good business here. I enjoy the atmosphere here, and people are just excited when they see me drawing live when I am doing portraits."
He added: "I will be continuing to do this. It's what puts food on the table, and it's a joy for me doing something that you enjoy doing and getting paid for it. It's not like a job for me. It's like a hobby."