Candice Perese - A New Fave!

When my good friend Julia Green of Greenhouse Interiors first introduced me to the work of Candice Perese I was BLOWN. AWAY! I instantly fell in love with her bold yet incredibly simple compositions and her colour combinations made my heart sing! 
 Not surprisingly, we sold out of our first delivery of Candice's art within two days, so you'll be super pleased to know - there are some more on their way! 


We caught up with Candice this week to chat all things art, the challenge of 'making the dream work' and how she manages it all with two little boys.

Candice, we LOVE your art - tell us how it all started for you? "Thank you! Wow where to start?  I went to art school in New Zealand and studied a Bachelor of Visual arts graduating as a 'painter'. I guess from there I kept at it, questioned myself a million times, cried because I wanted to drop it all and get a “normal” job more than a million times and slowly but surely found my way through the ups and downs and uncertainty to find myself here; making art full time.
My work has always been colour focused and the style that I’m working on and developing at the moment has been about a year and a half in the making." 

Where do you find inspiration? "EVERYWHERE! I am constantly jotting down colour combinations.  Our world today is so saturated with imagery it’s hard to keep up with the constant output of visually appealing images. My main source for imagery is Instagram, and the accounts I follow are mainly feeds with an Interior design, Architecture, Furniture/Object Design focus with a splash of Visual arts.
Interior design/decor and styling has very much driven the colour palettes I’ve been working with recently and the same can be said regarding the form and composition of each piece. When your ambition is to see your artwork in beautiful spaces, I think It’s very important you know what’s happening in these domains and that informs your art direction."

What's been the best thing to happen in your career so far? "Big question! I had a little creative burnout late 2017, not that long after an exhibition (of paintings) that happened after biting off a bit more than I could chew (creatively). This particular body of work really drained me of my desire to create abstract, fluid, painterly artwork, so I really struggled with getting back into the groove of making. I gave myself some time and during that time I developed a love of working with pencil and paper. I think this has to be the 'best' thing to happen in my career so far because it organically laid to rest a period in my artistic career as a 'painter' in order for it to flourish as an artist that works with pencil and paper. 

I guess it’s because of that shift I became lucky enough to meet and work with some amazing people like Julia Green from Greenhouse Interiors and her wonderful team and to work full time as an artist, not to mention getting the chance to chat about myself and my work with the Jumbled team!"

Do you ever get used to seeing your art on people's walls?
"No. Never. It blows my mind that people want my work in their homes, work spaces, or gift my artwork to loved ones because they think they’d love it as much as they do. Its wild!"

You're a mum to two gorgeous boys. How do you manage the juggle? "Haha! Yes juggling and prioritising workflow with snack making and late nights. I am super lucky to have a dedicated studio space in our home which means I have no choice but to pull late nights when we have days that are quite simply full of school runs, errands, cleaning, snacks, beach runs and bike rides. School holidays are a killer...I become a nocturnal being with a serious coffee addiction during the day. But I wouldn’t change a thing."

When are you at your happiest? "Oooooo; when the house is in order the kids are at school/kinder, with a second coffee in hand and the completion of an artwork in sight knowing there is a glass of wine waiting for me at the end of the day. Also on a Sunday morning when I get coffee in bed."

What is something not many people know about you? "I don’t listen to music when I work, I watch Seinfeld reruns. Currently watching season 3...again."

What exciting things do you have planned for 2019 - what can we look forward to next? "2019 has been a jam packed year so far! There are a couple of collaborations in the works...all will be revealed in due time. I am also working on some textural freehand artworks for an exhibition in June in Melbourne (more info to come via Instagram), and some large scale pieces currently in the making that I am super excited to release soon!"

The Jumbled Quickie:

• The first thing you do when you have spare time: "What is spare time?"
• Guilty pleasure: "Wine and carbs"
• Dream Collab: "Eeeeeeeeeeeeep so many! I would love to work alongside an interior designer on a large scale project with a location based brief, for example a boutique hotel or a restaurant...dreamers will be dreamers!"
• Favourite Spotify Playlist? (or type of music): "This is really nerdy but I currently have the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 on repeat. You don’t have to be into Marvel comics to dig this compilation. Promise!"
• Craziest thing you've ever done? "(and best thing…) Moving to France for love."
• Last book you read:  My sister, the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.
• Current Netflix addiction? "I’d have to say Stan - Seinfeld and Broad City"
• Song that gets you on the dancefloor: "Haha! Womack and Womack - Teardops"

To view Candice's AMAZING art, click here.