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Cathy Perillo

As a Plein Air painter, I work directly from the landscape to perfect the value relationships and warmth or coolness of nature’s colors. Using an edited palette, I often mix my paints to recreate the exact tones I see, capturing subtle color variations while interpreting the relationship of the colors to one another.


I grew up in Connecticut on the Long Island Sound, where the sea can quickly transition from meditative to stormy within the hour. Growing up on the Sound made me especially love the bold, gestural line of color on the horizon during sunrise and sunset. 


My art is about bringing to life the mood of the sea or the exact changes in the sky as the sun rises and sets. The scene changes quickly and I try to capture the colors — intense or subtle, moody or bright — as they cross the sky.


For the past 10 years I’ve painted landscapes and seascapes across the world, from my home in San Francisco, California to places like Venice, Tuscany, Cape Cod and the Swiss Alps.

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Building: 101 - Studio: 1201
Phone: 415-378-7239
Email: CatherinePerillo@comcast.net
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Pastel on Paper, 6" x 4.5"
Cathy Perillo, Schoodic Penisula, Gouache on Paper, 2021
Cathy Perillo, Looking toward Cadillac Mountain, Oil on panel, 2021