From April 3 through June 10, the Pacific Beach/Taylor Library will hold an exhibition, Let’s Get Wild, featuring 30 of artist Nona Perrin’s colorful paintings. A reception for the artist will be held in the library’s Taylor Gallery on April 6, from 2-4 p.m.

A longtime resident, Perrin has spent a lifetime in art, both as a teacher and creator, but this show’s origins are happenstance.

“I enjoy viewing all types of art and on a visit to the Pacific Beach Library, where I taught art to many students from local students, in the past, I noticed a poster of ‘Exhibition Opportunities’ on the wall inviting local artists to apply. So, I did,” she said.

Originally from the Midwest, Perrin was born and raised on a farm in Michigan, inspiring an early love for animals, one of the key subjects of the exhibition.

“I’ve enjoyed painting since I was in high school,” she said. “In college, I started out studying accounting, but after taking a couple of elective art classes, I switched my studies over to art history, ceramics, and painting.”

A brief local stay soon led to relocation. “Taking a break from college, I visited a friend in San Diego and fell in love with the city and its weather!” she recalled. “A few weeks later, I packed up my bags and moved to Pacific Beach, where I’ve been living since, and I continued my art studies at San Diego State University.”

Perrin eventually went on to teach art in local public and private schools for over 25 years. “I continue to teach an occasional private lesson but devote most of my time to creating my art,” she said.

What inspires Perrin to create art? “I love to learn, and the more I learn about different types of art, the more I want to create it! I always have one or two projects that I’m working on. It’s fun for me to get lost in my art projects.”

Currently, her preferred medium is oil paint. “But recently, I’ve begun to experiment with some of my sumi-e (black ink painting) again,” she commented.

Perrin notes the varying amount of time it takes to create her art. “Sometimes, I will finish a piece in a couple of hours or fewer, but sometimes I never finish. I’ll walk past a finished painting, hanging on the wall in my home, and see something that I want to change, and the next thing I do is haul it into my art room to experiment with it.”

For her exhibition, Perrin wanted to choose an expansive theme.

“The theme that I chose, ‘Let’s Get Wild,’ not only refers to my wild animal paintings, which are fun for me, but it’s also a message to my viewers to enjoy different art mediums and to get a little wild and maybe even create some of their art,” she said. “I guess it’s the art teacher in me.”

Perrin’s varied inspirations are included in the “Wild Things” theme. “I have a lot of different art interests,” she said. “So I tried to divide my exhibit into sections. Some of the sections include Sunsets & Waves, Wild Animals, Experiments in Art, Music Collaboration, and Art Reflecting Asian Artistic Traditions.”

Perrin notes that while she’s proud to have her work on display, it’s not for sale. “Currently, my home and my son’s home in Indiana are packed with my paintings, ceramics, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, etc,” she said good-naturedly. “But it’s very personal for me and, so far, I haven’t wanted to part with any of it.”

What’s Perrin’s favorite thing about being a full-time artist?

“I love the thrill of coming up with an idea and then planning how I’m going to make it happen,” she remarked. “And of course, the satisfaction that I feel when it’s completed.”

She’s looking forward to the show. “I’m excited to see a room full of my art on display and hope that it tells a story, and that viewers go home with something – an idea, a memory, or some inspiration to ‘Get Wild’ and do something creative,” she said.

EXHIBIT

What: Let’s Get Wild – The Art of Nona Perrin.

When: April 3 through June 10. A reception for the artist will be held in the library’s Taylor Gallery on April 6, from 2-4 p.m.

Where: Pacific Beach/Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St. Free.

Info: pblibraryfriends.org.