Blog

Updates about my artwork and creative process; including the tools, materials and techniques I use as well as thoughts on making and being an artist.

Goldfinch on Pomegranates by Nicky Perryman Textile Artist

Goldfinch on Pomegranates

Inspiration for the art work Yes I must admit I have a bit of an obsession with both goldfinches and pomegranates! I love goldfinches because they are such gorgeous little birds, with the flashes of lemon yellow on their wing bars and their multicoloured heads. And I think they go well together with the lush …

Little Puffin embroidery by Nicky Perryman

Little Puffin

Puffin Commission Who doesn’t love puffins? With their brightly coloured beaks and funny walk, what’s not to adore about these cute little seabirds? I was recently commissioned to do a puffin embroidery based on the customer’s photo from a trip to Iceland where he spotted lots of wildlife. This puffin was posing on a cliff …

Purple Glossy Starling by textile artist Nicky Perryman

Purple Glossy Starling

My latest project is a Purple Glossy Starling inspired by seeing one at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. I love the way the tail is so long and seems to flow behind the bird like a ribbon as it flies. They certainly are very exotic looking and their feathers change colour as they catch the …

Little Yellowhammer by textile artist Nicky Perryman

Little Yellowhammer

I started this artwork a while ago and came across it the other day. I felt it was lacking something so I added the little yellow finch – I guess you could call it a yellowhammer. I cut out a bird shape from hand-painted silk and bonded it on and stitched a bit of texture …

Bluejay

Bluejay is part of a trio of commissions I completed recently. Check out American Goldfinch and Yellow Flicker. The Bluejay with wings outstretched represents a rising a spirit. The background is hand painted silk habutai, with lots of acrylic ink splashed on it and lots of little flower shaped sequins and hand stitching to create …

Yellow Flicker

This is part of a trio of commissions I completed recently. Check out American Goldfinch and Bluejay. The Yellow Flicker has been created on hand painted silk and I used quite a lot of ink to create the darkness of the background. I used some stranded cotton thread to create the seeding and fly stitch …

American Goldfinch

This is a recent commission I completed for a lady in the USA. It’s an American Goldfinch with some thistles – not quite cardoons but that kind of shape. The background is handpainted silk habutai, painted with liquid acrylic inks. I use Liquitex because they are really good quality and bond to the fabric without …

Creative Arts Silk Painting

Here are some of the lovely artworks created by the special needs participants during textile sessions held at Creative Arts, Oldbury. We had a lot of fun splashing around with paint, glitter and sequins. What impressed me was how different and interesting everyone’s work was and how they all took to the creative process with …

The Summer of the Kingfishers - textile art by Nicky Perryman textile artist

The Summer of the Kingfishers

Since I was a small child I’ve always loved kingfishers. This piece ‘The Summer of the Kingfishers’ is inspired by the place down by the river where we used to go to play in the summer and have picnics. And it is where my father used to go as a child, where he learned to …