In the Making Team on Etsy: About the Artist: Pey

Friday, October 31, 2014

About the Artist: Pey

Pey, a native of Taiwan, came to Toronto shortly after her father's death. Her father, who influenced her greatly in many ways, was an avid collector of antiques and beautiful things. Pey grew up fascinated by all his treasures and learned at a very young age to appreciate the unique, which later propelled her interest in interior design. She received her BA from Ryerson, and practised interior design for nearly two decades.

The Furniture Collection - mixed media on canvas

As a designer, restoring order to chaos and making sense of space was satisfying and challenging at first, but it began to wane as a career path. During a moment of lucidity and inspiration, Pey chose to leave her lucrative design job ( to the horror of her poor husband Anatol) and return to her first love - artistic endeavours and pursuits.

Always fascinated by textures, Pey chose clay as her main painting surface, which she gently layers with different paint media to achieve the finish and patina which so typifies her unique style and themes. The clay adds texture, crackle and a " well worn look" to a wide range of subject matter, mostly folk art based but with an urban twist.

The White Horse - acrylic on clay on canvas.

Pey's wide ranging influences include Rennie Macintosh, Michael Sowa, Man Ray, Botero, Bill Traylor ..., but perhaps Pey's true inspiration comes from things closer to home, her husband's folk art collection, her animals, her garden, the wonder of simple joys and moments in time and her deep seeded memories from her childhood.

Pey loves what she does and hopes to express that sense of joy and gentleness in her work. She is truly humbled and grateful that she can follow her calling. She now paints and plays happily at her Parkdale home in Toronto.

Pey's work has been purchased and shipped internationally and sold in prominent Canadian shops and galleries.