Perry often draws inspiration from the world around him. He observes everyday life, people, and social issues, which become the foundation for his artworks. Perry's art is heavily conceptual, focusing on themes like identity, gender, class, and cultural diversity. He explores these ideas through his work, contemplating their significance in contemporary society.
Perry typically begins his creative process by sketching his ideas on paper. These sketches serve as a blueprint for his artworks and help him refine his concepts.He carefully plans the composition of his pieces, considering the placement of various elements and how they will convey his intended message.
Grayson Perry is known for his versatility in using various mediums, including ceramics, tapestries, printmaking, and drawing. He selects the medium that best suits the concept he wants to express. When working with ceramics, Perry employs traditional techniques such as slab-building, coiling, and glazing to create intricate and visually striking pottery. On his pottery, Perry says, ““With vases they always go right back to ancient Chinese ceramics; they were made for display, they weren’t necessarily made for function. Of course they had a spurious reference to function in that you could put something in them and they would hold water or whatever, but they were a sort of showpiece form of ceramics. Over the centuries potters and decorators have always shown off their best work on the vase - that’s the tradition I was buying into.”
Much of Perry's work involves meticulous handcrafting. For ceramic pieces, he often hand-builds and decorates each piece individually, paying close attention to details. In some cases, Perry collaborates with skilled craftsmen and artisans to bring his ideas to life, particularly when working on larger and more complex projects like tapestries. In essence, Perry is dissecting British "prejudices, fashions and foibles".
His art is known for its layered meanings and symbolism. He embeds hidden messages and references within his work, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the narrative. For example in the work, “A Perfect Match” Perry’s masterful ability to weave narratives together is highly evident.
He says, “I made two large tapestries to hang in the main room of the house, showing key moments in Julie Cope's life. They're done in the style of Renaissance religious paintings, with the main characters shown several times in each image, in little vignettes marking different moments in time. The title of this one is a quote from the long poem I wrote, 'The Ballad of Julie Cope': 'Friends all agreed they were "a perfect match".' Julie had met Dave, her first husband, as a teenager when he was guitarist in a band called The Riders of Rohan that played the pubs on the Essex Marshes. He worked in the Coryton Refinery and was an aspirational young man; he soon became a foreman. The red-roofed building is an old Essex pub with a clapperboard that says 'Band Tonight'. On the left is the little house where Julie was born, and there's her dad, Norman, breaking through the tiles in the roof, holding her aloft during their escape from the Great Flood of 1953. It was 1 February, the morning of Julie's birth. Her father was a very taciturn, quite kind of guy who'd been traumatised in the war.”
After completing a piece, Perry often reflects on the work and its message. He may refine his ideas for future projects based on his experiences and feedback.The Turner Prize-Winner is known for engaging with his audience, both in person and through his art. He often hosts talks and discussions to encourage dialogue and interpretation of his work.
Perry has, over his thirty or so years in the national limelight been given many labels, but when asked whether he identifies himself as an artist or a potter or ceramicist, he seems quite clear. “It’s absolutely vital what you call yourself. I’ve always called myself an artist, who happens to make ceramics.”
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