(1.27) Coming Home to Roost — the first solo show by artist Darrel Perkins since he returned to the state — will feature work from his recent book, Rhode Island Red. There will be a wide variety of prints, paintings, and other illustrations on view and for sale. The show opens with a party at Trade Pop-Up on Governor Street this Thursday at 7pm.
If you can’t make the party, you can still meet the artist on-site this Friday and Saturday, between noon and 6pm; he will be using the gallery as a studio space while the show is open to the public. I asked Mr. Perkins for some background via email:
I got my bachelors from RIC in Art Education with a concentration in Printmaking, then got my masters in Illustration from Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. I worked as an illustrator in Charleston, SC for a while before moving back to Providence, where I now teach drawing and design courses at Johnson & Wales.
Apparently The Dose has been something of an influence:
After reading your posts about the WRWC [Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council], I did a few cleanup days and ended up painting signs for them as a volunteer. They liked the signs, so they asked me to lead a sign painting session for a girl scout troop. After that went well, they hired me to paint fourteen electrical box murals along the river throughout the summer. It was grueling work but I’m happy to contribute to their cause, as the Woony River is looking better than I could ever remember.
Perkins wears his affection for his home state on his inky sleeve — see Cahtahgraphy, a typography map of the state — but his subject matter is wide-ranging and includes, “nautical heroes and maritime folklore, literary illustrations, romance and eroticism, philosophical and psychoanalytical theories, and absurdist humor.” There is a lot to like here (I am mad about the boy on his ‘about’ page) but I also fell in love with this poster! Go Roger.
The exhibit will remain up for this weekend only (that’s why they call them pop-ups) so don’t put it off. Show runs Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Noon to 6pm.
Opening party, 7pm to 11pm, Thursday, January 24, Trade Pop-Up, 34 Governor Street, (directions)