Mark Perry, Scranton, PA
Mr. Perry was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the Youngtown-Warren, Ohio area before moving back to his grandmother's house In Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.
Mark is the quintessential 'Renaissance Man', discovering early interests in both art and music. Drawing from an early age, he continued his art and music interests through high school. After his high school graduation, he attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York to pursue a culinary career as a chef, graduating in September of 1974. A decade later, he took a hiatus from his culinary career to attend Youngstown State University to earn a college degree, in between earning two music diplomas from the now-defunct Dick Grove School of Music in Van Nuys, California, finally receiving a B. M. in Music Performance, Flute, in June of 1993 from YSU, studying under Walter Mayhall. Several years later, he attended Michigan State University to earn a Master's degree in Corporate Foodservice in May of 1998. After an extensive education and career in the culinary filed, he began painting over a decade ago, because he says, "The culinary field wasn't giving me enough of an outlet for all of my creative energy."
A self-taught artist, he has learned from books videos, DVDs and has researched and follows many artists, both past and present, along with their work for inspiration. Mr. Perry's art shows his versatility with painting a wide variety of subject matter. He states, "I don't want to paint just one subject, like seascapes or flowers. Through the years I've been painting, I've discovered that I have the talent and desire to paint a wide variety of subjects."
With his work as a chef, Mark will continue his painting. "I have so much to do so many paintings planned to create, and I find new ideas all the time", he says. With his culinary work and painting, he still finds time to practice classical and ragtime guitar. But, he adds, " I would still like to travel to capture photographs for future paintings." His ultimate goal is to become professional and paint full-time. This past year, Mark completed four large murals for a local hospital and has begun teaching art classes, two areas he would most like to expand into.
Mark is a past member of Oil Painters of America and a member of the Society of Decorative Painter and is affiliated with local art associations and some of his work hangs in the Phyl Your Bags store in The Marketplace in downtown Scranton.
Mr. Perry lives at his home in Scranton, with his beloved cat, Missy.
