Meet Molly Perrault | Mixed Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Molly Perrault and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Molly, what do you want your legacy to be?
Art can be made out of anything, anywhere. I primarily use recycled magazine paper for my pieces, but part of what excites me most about the creative process is how much the medium alone can express. Once you understand the basics of design, color theory, shading, etc., I think the world can really become an artists’ palette, or even the canvas itself. I get most inspired by other artists who use unusual materials such as rocks, plastic, garbage, fabrics, weird thrift store finds, etc. to create. Art should be weird and fun and force people to think outside of the box. With the amount of things that our society throws away, we as artists should strive to find ways to reuse these materials and make them beautiful and appreciated.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is very inspired by my lived experiences and the landscapes that surround me. When I moved from Louisiana to Colorado in 2015, my artwork evolved alongside me. I intentionally brought few art supplies, forcing myself to rely on found and recycled materials in my new environment, especially paper which has now become my primary medium. I love the tactile-nature of paper and how it can be a record of time, and also how it provides its own textures, colors, and language to find and repurpose. Instead of mixing paints, my palette instead becomes a treasure hunt for specific colors and textures, allowing me to layer and create forms from paper that I may not otherwise have discovered.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been so fortunate to live in Telluride, CO and enjoy the variety of experiences each season offers, but summertime is my favorite. In a perfect week, I’d take a friend wild mushroom foraging out in Lizard Head Wilderness. The area offers beautiful views of the San Juans, including the lovely Trout Lake. I love wandering through the woods and finding bright golden chanterelles and big, happy boletes to take home and make delicious meals with. Telluride has a vibrant arts scene, so we would either enjoy Art Walk on a first Thursday around Telluride’s galleries, catch a show at the historic Sheridan Opera House, or grab a drink and listen to local music at the Telluride Transfer Warehouse. For a great meal out, we might check out Smuggler’s Brew Pub or The National. Finally, I would encourage any visitors to dive deeper into the area’s fascinating history at the Telluride Historical Museum where a wealth of stories and information adds valuable context to the town and the mountains that surround it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I absolutely dedicate my art career to my grandparents, Charles “Swatty” and Carolyn Perrault. As a child who was athletically-challenged, I bounced from one after-school activity to another. My grandparents found a small, privately-run fine art program not far from my school and signed me up for lessons. Every Thursday, my grandparents would pick me up from school and drive me to art lessons. My grandpa would even give me a couple dollars for ice cream during the lessons – an added motivation. I began looking forward to these lessons and seeing my art friends weekly (as well as the ice cream). The teaching method was very traditional – beginning with pencils and charcoal, and then pastels, evolving into one, two, and multi-color watercolor, and then finally acrylic paint. Thanks to my grandparents and their encouragement, I kept going to these lessons for nearly a decade and learned skills that I still rely on today.

Website: www.mollyperrault.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/molly.perrault.art

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/molly-perrault-daniel

Facebook: www.facebook.com/paperpaintingsbymollyperrault

Other: I am represented by Slate Gray Gallery in Telluride: www.slategraygallery.com