For as long as he can remember, Lee Perry has been an artist.

As a child, he recalls being able to use art as a medium to express himself even though he doesn’t remember how exactly it all began for him.

“When I was old enough to hold a pencil I started drawing,” Perry said.

The life-long Cartersville resident said an early influence on his work was his first art teacher, Margaret Mines.

“She recognized I had a talent so she was a great inspiration for me,” Perry said.

Perry, who is a first grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School, said he uses colored pencils and graphite to bring his artwork to life, often drawing scenes from a collection of photographs he has obtained over the years.

Although he has been a teacher for 16 years, he has continued to draw as a hobby and recently made the decision to share his work with others.

The Cartersville Public Library will have his collection on display through Sept. 26 and in that time Perry’s collection of 12 pieces can be seen during library hours..

The library is open Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Perry said many of the pieces in the collection are a culmination of a 10-year process and he is happy to have the opportunity to have the community view his work.

“I’m just thankful people will be able to appreciate it,” Perry said.

Among Perry’s work are a detailed rendering of a horse saddle, drawings of the Old West, which he said were inspired by another influence on his work, famed artist Don Troiani, and a portrait of him and his son playing in the sand at St. Simons Island.

The almost life-like quality of Perry’s drawings are great examples of his style as a visual artist.

“If I can make it look like a photograph then I believe I’ve done a good job,” Perry said.

Information: (770) 382-4203.