An imaginative and ambitious Grade 10 student from Korah Collegiate has caught the province’s attention for her impressive artwork.
At just 14 years of age, Biddy Perri will have her uniquely designed piece of art displayed inside the infamous halls of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
In late October, Perri submitted her piece to the Legislative Assembly Art Show through the Youth Arts Program, which celebrates the artistic talents of young Ontarians between the ages of 12 and 18.
In December, she found out her art was selected among just a handful of pieces that would be heading to Toronto in 2023.
“I was super excited,” she says. “I didn’t know if I’d get in or not at first. There were a lot of pictures with really high skill levels, many of them from 18-year-olds who have been doing this since they were 12.”
Perri calls her piece ‘Effigy of the Extraordinary,’ and says the concept is based on conformity.
“We see a lot of conformity, especially with younger people,” she says. “I like to people-watch and look at their little habits. I found a lot of people will think less of someone immediately if they look or speak differently from them.”
“There are some people who don’t like my fashion style, which can create some interesting conflict. A lot of my inspiration comes from that.”
Using a $2 ballpoint pen, some water colour, and a piece of white Bristol board, Perri began to map out her design on Oct. 25 before submitting it for approval on Nov. 12.
“You don’t need good materials to make something good,” she says.
During those two and a half weeks, the Enhanced Learning student put over 16 hours of meticulous and purposeful work into creating what would become one of her most memorable pieces.
“My creative process involved a lot of planning out first,” she says. “I like to look at things not only as a piece but as a study.”
“I didn’t have a great understanding of facial structure, clothing or lighting going into this. Those were all things I wanted to make as dramatic and exaggerative as possible so I could get a better understanding of them through the piece.”
“I knew from the start I wanted very jagged lines, and I also wanted to introduce a lot of different texture. With pen, there’s only white and black, so you don’t get value, you only get texture, so you figure out how you can mould it to fake value.”
“I find art is a lot about creating the illusions of things instead of actually having them there.”
Since she was six years old, Perri has practiced, studied, and absorbed a wide range of highly advanced art forms and techniques.
“I got interested in art when I was six years old because I found a social media website where you could animate, draw, and post your work,” she says. “I was reading a lot of books at the time, and I would create little animations and drawings of all my favourite characters and upload them.”
“I wasn’t very skilled or popular because I was six,” she laughed. “I think at the height of my popularity I had 15 followers. But the feedback I got from these other like-minded people at such a young age pushed me to keep going and making things.”
“As I got older, I began taking it more seriously and actually paid more attention to what I was learning, and I think that’s when I started improving quickly.”
Growing up, Perri has fond memories of her mom Terri and the artistic abilities she displayed.
Without her mom’s influence, the young artist doesn’t know where she’d be today.
“When my mom was younger, she painted all the time,” she says. “We have countless paintings of hers around the house. She gives really good advice and I always go to her for tips. Since I was six years old making refrigerator drawings, she’s always been very supportive of me.”
Perri also draws inspiration from her art teacher Tammy Fiegehen, who can sum up her young student’s abilities with just one word.
“Limitless,” Fiegehen says. “That is the word that I hear in my head when I think of Biddy. She will be who she wants to be to the world. She has the drive and confidence to be and do anything she wants to do in life.”
“When I saw her piece, I was not surprised that she created something so amazing. I was captivated by the rich content that she was able to capture and convey in such a simple line drawing.”
“If I could get her process through to every student the way she’s absorbed it, that would be an absolute dream.”
Perri had first learned about the Youth Arts Program this past Fall when Fiegehen brought it up during class.
She was hooked instantly.
“I wanted to do it right away,” Perri says. “It wasn’t a matter of ‘will I do this?’ but a matter of ‘what will I make for this?’”
“She didn’t tell me she was doing it until she had already made the whole piece,” Fiegehen says. “I was completely shocked.”
Perri’s ‘Effigy of the Extraordinary’ will proudly hang in the halls of the Legislature in April, and a ceremony showcasing the best of Ontario’s young artists will follow soon after.
The Korah student intends to continue submitting a new piece each year.
In the meantime, Perri has her eyes set on a career in medicine, but she’d like to keep her artistry in her back pocket.
“Algoma University does a double-degree program, so I’m thinking of taking either Biology or Psychology along with Fine Arts at the same time,” she says.
“If I choose to go the medical route, they like to see well-roundedness, so while the fine arts background may not be considered useful in the field, it will complement everything else I have.”
Although it takes a lot of time and dedication to master any craft, Perri encourages young people to find their niche and work at it.
“If you want to get good at something, treat it like a study,” she says. “You need to dedicate time and study it for at least an hour each day.”
“Make a plan. Once you have the foundations, you can make something even better. And that doesn’t just apply to art.”