NELL-LYNN PERERA
CRYSTAL
ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022
Nell-Lynn Perera was named the SAPPHIRE ARTIST OF OCTOBER 2022 and the EMERALD ARTIST OF JUNE 2022 and was automatically entered into the second, annual ARTISTS OF THE YEAR EVENT where she was then named the CRYSTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022.
Get to know this outstanding artist, admire her courageous and unapologetic attitude toward her art practice, learn about her special gift which guides her fascinating and unique creative process and explore her ethereal and graceful paintings which seem to float and exist somewhere high above the material world in the following feature and interview which was created in recognition and celebration of her CRYSTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022 title.
“All my life I’ve had to believe in myself, first. I went about things quietly without seeking approval from people. Having schooled in a convent for eleven years with many rules and with parents who were also strict, I’ve tried to liberate myself from all the conditioning that I was subjected to. Painting is an opportunity for me to express what I feel intensely which I have no words for and as a chromesthete, music is the vessel that helps me express those feelings. While I paint, I lose my sense of self and my ego which I find self-liberating."
-- NELL-LYNN PERERA
BIOGRAPHY
Nell-Lynn Perera is a self-taught abstract artist and poet. Her artistic process originates from having sound-to-colour Synaesthesia (Chromesthesia). Most of her adult working life was in film production where she worked as an art director, production designer and stylist. Nell-Lynn started painting as she was compelled to do her part when the tsunami hit Japan in 2011. She calls this an epiphanic moment. Nell-Lynn has participated in group shows in London (2019), Lisbon (2015) and New York City (2 shows both in 2015 and a 3rd show in 2017) and has won multiple awards and recognitions in international art competitions. Nell-Lynn currently resides in her hometown, Kuala Lumpur, where she’s at work on her second solo show.
"Ikigai #1"
Watercolour
“I allow myself to paint whatever it is that I feel without caring what others think of it. It is an act of defiance.”
GR - Regarding your compelling assertion above, how do you triumph over the common need for approval and why is this important to you? Is the criticism and expectations from the established and recognized art world what you are defying or is it something more personal?
NLP - The triumph is in the freedom I offer myself without thinking what others would think of my work which could appear to be mismatched and to not have a signature style which is so often required and sought after from art collectors and art critiques. I’d like to give myself a chance for my work to evolve – not in the mastery of technique, etc but rather in the discovery of what I may not yet know of myself at this moment which I may be better at painting. I don’t see why in all facets of each of our individual growth we’re allowed this freedom but not when it comes to our work. Hence, without considering what others may think about my work, I’ve offered myself this freedom. Many renowned and established artists would think Banksy’s work is useless but that is his form of defiance to the art world. All acts of defiance have one voice which says to the world; I know the rules but I am breaking them. For one’s self, the act is self-liberating as one isn’t preoccupied with being accepted. I am aware my work shall be judged nonetheless but I am who chooses whose judgment is important to me.
GR - The terms freedom and liberation recur in your written words about your art practice. Why is this a priority for you when you paint and express yourself?
NLP - It’s a priority because in many if not most aspects of our lives we are conditioned to a great degree on how to behave, act, think and conduct ourselves. Even when we’re aware of this conditioning, it doesn’t mean we’ve broken free from it. Society has determined a lot of things for us already, which doesn’t allow us to live authentically, easily. Therefore, this is one aspect of my life that I get to choose instead of conforming to what I know I should be doing or is expected of someone like me.
GR - How do you feel when you are actively painting? Would you describe your process as emotional, an escape or therapeutic perhaps? What drives you to paint and what is your desired outcome?
NLP - As someone with sound to colour Synaesthesia (Chromesthesia), I see and feel the music which I’m listening to on loop while I paint which makes me come alive and yet, very focused. The process is one of an escape where everything else is not thought of. What feelings and thoughts that may appear are welcomed and they do also appear in the paintings. My passion for music and my feelings are what drive me to paint. The desired outcome is to be able for viewers to recognise this place that lives deep within them, lives within me too and for them to recognise that we are more similar than we are different.
"Ikigai #3"
Watercolour
"Ikigai #5"
Watercolour
GR - What is chromesthesia and how does it affect your work? Do you consider it an advantage and something that makes your work unique? Are there any disadvantages?
NLP - Chromesthesia is having two senses come together at the same time – sound and sight. I consider myself fortunate that my level of Chromesthesia is only spurred by certain music and not all sounds as I’d find that to be too overwhelming. I find it to be an advantage as I am a homebody and an introvert who lives in the city, so I have music as my inspiration to paint. If I listen to a fast-paced piece of music, I paint very quickly with vibrant colours as I’m seeing lots of movement whereas if it’s a slow-paced piece, I paint in synchronicity to it with lots of pauses and less vibrant, mostly muted colours. I am thankful that I have Chromesthesia and am grateful to each and every musician who created the music that I have chosen to paint, for without either, I would not be an artist.
GR - What style of music do you use for your abstract paintings? Do you ever paint without music as the guide and if so how do the results differ?
NLP - I use trance music and instrumental piano pieces. They all consist mostly of high notes. I have never painted without music.
GR - When you look at a finished artwork at a later date, does the music you used come to mind and contribute to your response to it or does the music no longer participate or matter? Are you wishing to convey the music to the viewer on some level or is the music simply an instrument used to develop the visual aspect of the painting?
NLP - Some paintings, I do remember which piece of music I listened to while I painted them but not all. So, it doesn’t matter. The music is an instrument used to develop the visual aspect of the painting. However, it is my wish to work on an interactive solo show one day, where I introduce people into the world of Chromesthesia in which they’d understand and they too might feel and see the colours and movements corresponding to each piece of music that the paintings were painted to.
"Communion"
Acrylic
"Eros #1"
Acrylic
GR - Can you explain your creative process? In what order do the music, the colour palette, the medium or an emotion you wish to explore arrive? Do you have a structured system which you follow for each painting? How long do you spend on a single artwork?
NLP - I begin by deciding which medium I would like to work on. If it’s acrylic on canvas and I want a softer themed palette, I know I have to listen to slower-paced music which is just instrumental piano pieces. If I want vibrant paintings, it’s Trance music that I listen to. The same applies for watercolor paintings. The color palette is dictated by the music. Yes, I do have a structured system. It begins by listening to a single piece of music on loop for days from the time I wake up till it’s time to go to bed. Sometimes, it only takes a few days for me to want to paint that music and other times, it’s by listening to it only after thousands of times and I say this without exaggeration. I continue to listen to that piece of music on loop while I am painting. There are times where I continue to paint to that one piece of music for many paintings especially if I’m working on a themed series. A single artwork can take anything from 3 days to 5 days irrespective of the size. In fact, sometimes a watercolor painting which is often a lot smaller in size, takes much longer as it involves detailed work.
GR - What is it about watercolour and acrylic that you find suitable to your art practice? How do the differences between them affect your work and what makes you choose one over the other for a given painting?
NLP - For me, watercolour isn’t a forgiving medium whereas acrylic is. One doesn’t need to know much in order to paint with acrylic whereas with watercolor, you do need a certain mastery and understanding. For instance, with watercolor, it involves precise timing to create certain shapes and formations. One can’t paint over a watercolor painting and start all over again like one can with acrylic. There aren’t any mediums for watercolor besides using water whereas with acrylic, there are many mediums that help artists achieve what they’d like. The music I’ve decided to paint to is what decides which I choose over the other.
GR - Do you feel your history in film production has influenced and informed the direction of your art?
NLP - No, it hasn’t. Though it has influenced my love for interior design and interior decoration which is another passion of mine.
"Magic"
Acrylic
GR - Which artists and art periods most interest you? Do you feel their technical elements and devices or their artistic attitude and spirit ever surface in your own paintings?
NLP - Frida Kahlo interests me as she was plagued with disabilities but continued to paint despite them. I have my own health challenges which in recent years needed me to reconcile certain aspects of myself and change the way that I paint. I also have Fuch’s Corneal Dystrophy which affects my vision including my perception of colour and depth even with correctional lenses. I think of Frida Kahlo on days I find challenging to continue a painting I’ve started and remember her spirit.
GR - Have you ever considered experimenting with another genre of painting or perhaps moving into something digital or sculptural? What do you see in your artistic near-future?
NLP - I have experimented with digital art for a few years and I love pottery though I have yet to try my hands at it mainly due to the pain I deal with in my fingers. Writing prose is something that I’ve done for years and I am about to begin working on my second solo show which will feature my artwork and my writings. I’m looking forward to it as it will be interesting for me to see whether it will be my paintings or my words that people resonate with more, or both, or neither :)
GR - It has been delightful to get to know the artist behind the stunning and distinctive paintings. Thank you for sharing your story and congratulations on winning the title CRYSTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2022.
NLP - I’m honored to have been awarded this recognition. Thank you for this opportunity and the award, Gallery Ring, which has given me the opportunity to share me, the person behind my work. I’ve always believed, we are persons first, before anything else and therefore, we share more similarities than differences.
"Ikigai #4"
Watercolour