Today we’d like to introduce you to Tomer Peretz.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tomer. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I Grew up in Jerusalem, to a good family, but nothing related to Art there. I was painting and drawing throughout my childhood, mostly drawing at school, usually when the teacher was talking. I didn’t really show off my work because it wasn’t the coolest thing in my environment. It was much cooler to be a good succor player for example.
At the age of 18 -22 I was enlisted in the Israeli military, which is mandatory. I think my personality has been shaped there, but I didn’t paint or drew there, I was busy fighting and trying to stay alive haha.
Right after my military service I traveled to South America for almost a year and started to paint again; created murals in Buenos Aires in some motel and the creative hunger for it started there.
Los Angeles was supposed to be just a stop between South America and India, but I fell in love with LA, so I stayed. I was painting every minute I could between jobs. My paintings started to sell and as the years went by I did different projects like public art and sculptures and lots of private portrait commissions. My technic has been changed a few times and it took me a while to find my way, I think I’m still looking for it actually haha.
Has it been a smooth road?
No it wasn’t smooth at all, I’m one of those people that have to work extremely hard to get what they want in life, I got in trouble a few times and I was living on the edge too, I was very naive when I arrived in LA, I got into very complicated situations in my first couple of years in LA.
I didn’t have money and was in survival mode for a few years.
We’d love to hear more about your work
I’m a conceptual artist, painter, and photographer. Painting lead me to photography and I have been working in new and different mediums for the past seven years.
I’ve build my career slowly and I started to invest in different businesses as well, just because I wanted to have other sources of income.
I’m represented by Giancarlo Pedrazzini in Milan, Italy at the reputable Fabbrica Eos gallery, and I just got back from my exhibition there. Never in my wildest dreams, I thought that I will be showing with such major contemporary artists such as Paolo Troilo and Fabio Giampietro. This is a big honor for me!
What sets me apart from others I think is my process and technic. I paint people who are dear to me and who affect my life. Some of them are artists and I always try to show a different perspective of that person. I spend some time with them, I document them, sometimes even go to their house/ city and spend a few days there just to get inspired, then I take a few photos and choose one of the photos to paint from.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love LA very much and I associate it with my success. I think LA has a special energy to it and it’s not a coincidence that people from all over the world come here and try to make it. I love that there are people here from all over the world, it sometimes feels like no one is from here and I relate to that. I think it’s a city of outsiders.
I don’t like that people like to hate on LA, saying that we have no culture here. I think we have so many creative people in our city!
Contact Info:
- Address: 3822 W Jefferson blvd
- Website: www.tomerperetz.com
- Phone: 323-208-8097
- Email: marina@tomerperetz.com
- Instagram: @TomerPeretzArt
Image Credit:
Tomer Peretz
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