Steve Perrault: Expansion and Containment

Steve Perrault’s background in art, philosophy, theology and clinical psychology (B.A. and three graduate degrees) creates a mysterious connection and deep appreciation of the incongruent aspects of life. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Perrault entered Catholic seminary at age seventeen. For thirteen years he lived in the context of seminary and monastic life, working in ministerial settings in five states, including three years as chaplain of a New York jail. This was followed by ten years in clinical work as a psychotherapist in Chicago. These experiences provided the artist with the opportunity to experience exterior (environmental/architectural) and interior (psychological/emotional) light and darkness, containment and expansion. He has been a full-time painter since 1998.

His work resides in important collections around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Environmental Protection Agency National Headquarters, Academy Award-winning film director William Friedkin (The French Connection; The Exorcist) and Paramount Pictures Chairman Emeritus, Sherry Lansing.  He has been featured in over fourty publications including The New York Times Magazine, ARTnews, and American Art Collector.  He is represented by galleries in London, New York, Houston and San Francisco.

Perrault’s paintings are instantly recognizable, each with its architectural space opening to the natural landscape, and its iconic red bench. Every picture stands alone, and draws the viewer in with its beauty and its powerful serenity. But the real power of Perrault’s artistry is evident in the whole body of his work. From canvas to canvas, the color and direction of the light changes, the interior architectural shapes are altered, the landscape is challenging or benign, and the red bench morphs from square to elongated, taking positions of varying safety and exposure in the composition. Every image carries its own meaning and its own mood, and it is clear that Perrault’s meditative journey is rich and authentic and alive.

Visit him online at www.sjperrault.com.