Known primarily for her previous work in stained glass and monochromatic glass etching, artist Carmella Perotti has returned to her creative origins, focusing on vibrant botanical illustration. Her detailed style is rooted in her formative years at the Morton Arboretum, where she paired morning scientific botany lessons with afternoon art sessions to master plant anatomy. Rejecting photographs in favor of live Upper Peninsula specimens (such as freshly picked garden flowers), Perotti captures intricate textures and lines, ensuring every leaf and petal is anatomically accurate. This June feature brings these vivid color illustrations out of her basement sketchbooks and into the public eye for the first time.
Marc Himes, an artist and the head of outreach for Zero Degrees Gallery, selected Perotti as the June featured artist because her seasonal subject matter perfectly aligns with the arrival of summer blooms. Himes noted that her colored pencil illustrations and intricate scratchboard bookmarks introduce a fresh, unique artistic medium to the gallery's current rotation. This exhibition directly supports the mission of the gallery's Visiting Artists Series, which aims to bridge the geographical gap across the Upper Peninsula by providing an inclusive platform for non-member talents from communities like Marquette and Escanaba to share their work with a wider audience.
Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Perotti and Himes via phone:
Visitors can explore her collection, alongside pieces from over forty other regional artists, at Zero Degrees Gallery located at the corner of Ohio and Third Street in Marquette. The gallery is open throughout the summer from Monday through Saturday between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and Sundays from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with public receptions held on the second Saturday afternoon of the month. For regional art enthusiasts traveling south, Perotti's botanical and glass art can also be found at the East Ludington Gallery in Escanaba.
Visit zerodegreesgallery.org for more information.
