Born and raised in Southern California, Wendell Perry returned from military service to attend UCLA, graduating in 1974. While supporting his family as a licensed general contractor, he also owned and operated a bronze casting foundry in Fallbrook, California, experiences that deeply informed his sculptural practice. 

Perry’s work is a visual interpretation of personal experiences, observations, and emotional responses to the world around him. Ideas often remain quietly present for years before evolving into finished sculptures, with each work continuing to develop throughout the creative process as new possibilities emerge. 

For Perry, creating art is both an intellectual and deeply personal journey. The act of making allows him to reach a state of focused awareness where discovery becomes as important as the finished object itself. The challenges, frustrations, and unexpected turns encountered along the way become essential elements of the work, making each sculpture an experiment in form, thought, and expression. 

Ultimately, Perry continues to create because of the joy found in the process itself—a simple yet enduring motivation that resonates throughout his work.