About Pennie
I am a mixed media artist creating visual biographies and narratives about identity, memory and the individual’s personal and societal presentation, I am particularly interested in the female point of view outside of the male gaze. I suppose I am a kind of a portraitist, depicting specific people to express the specific concepts. I like to experiment with different media, using image transfers, monoprints, unusual cropping, symbolic objects, etc. to express my subject’s true reality as opposed to relying solely on direct photographic realism. Like most mixed media artists, I am a collector. I find joy in finding intriguing things, then finding the most articulate and meaningful place for it to dwell.
As a storyteller and (former Costume Designer) I’m fascinated by history-I look backward and forward as well as at the here and now. Context, comparison and contrast are key. In my process content is always the driving force. I spark on an image, which leads me to explore the world it inhabits-events, songs, other people, etc. Sometimes ideas travel far. An original spark may not wind up prominently featured as the composition develops. There will usually be many layers, conceptually & literally. The viewer is invited to look deeply at my journey.
All work on this site is available for purchase unless otherwise noted. Please contact me directly to discuss.
EXHIBITIONS:
2024
Measure Twice Cut Once, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Curator: Bernadette McConnell
A Women’s Voice In a Pivotal Time: Southern CA Women’s Caucus For The Arts, The Makery, Los Angeles, CA. Juror: Kim Abeles
Mother, Tryst Alternative Art Fair, Dorado 806 Project/Torrance Art Museum, CA. Juror: Meghan DeRoma
Out Of The Blue: Cultural Center of Cape Cod, Massachusetts Virtual Juried Exhibit. https://www.cultural-center.org/outoftheblue
Roots-Where We Come From, Where We Are: 1202 Contemporary Virtual Exhibit. Artsy and www.1202contemporary.com
Interplay: Collage Artists of Americas Annual Juried Members Virtual Juried Exhibit. Juror: Nancy Kay Turner https://sfvacc.org/
Girl Art Now: Hera Gallery, Wakefield, RI. 50th Anniversary Juried Virtual Exhibit. https://www.heragallery.org/girl-art-now
Pattern and Abstraction: Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Pawtucket, RI. Virtual Juried Exhibit. Juror: Linnea Toney Leeming, https://https://rhodeislandwatercolorsociety.wildapricot.org
Art4Animals 2024: Benefitting The Accidental Animal Rescue Center. Virtual Juried Exhibit. Sponsored by the Red Bluff Art Gallery, CA https://www.redbluffartgallery.com/art4animals24.htm
2023
Negative Spaces: Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Pawtucket, RI. Virtual Exhibit. Juror: Kelly McCullough, https://https://rhodeislandwatercolorsociety.wildapricot.org
Autumn’s Palette: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Juried Show, Mill Valley, CA. Virtual Exhibit. Juror: Catharine Clark, https://www.ohanloncenter.org
Momento Mori and the Macabre: Long Beach Creative Group Juried Exhibit, Rod Briggs Memorial Gallery, Long Beach, CA
Monochromatic: Photo Trouvee Magazine. Jurors: Trixie Boyer and Juliana Naufel
All Media 2023: Irvine Fine Arts Center, CA. Juror: Gabriela Urtiaga
The Dog Days of Summer 2023: KBM Art Gallery Virtual Exhibit, Riverside, CA. Juror: Keri Barker Miller
Text/Message: Shoebox Productions. Juror: Kristine Schomaker. https://shoeboxprojects.com
Pushing Boundaries: Collage Artists of America Members Juried Exhibit. Betsy Lueke Creative Arts Center, Burbank. Juror: Katherine Chiang Liu
Pop Surrealism: Long Beach Creative Group, Rod Briggs Memorial Gallery, Long Beach, CA
Seeing Red: Southern CA Women’s Caucus For The Arts, Shelley Heffler Contemporary Art, Cathedral City, CA.
Juror: Shelly Heffler. https://www.scwcaexhibitions.org/seeing-red-697519-291072.html
Making The Cut: Shoebox Productions. Juried by Kristine Schomaker. https://shoeboxprojects.com/making-the-cut/
2022
Interior Dialogues: Collage Artists of Americas Annual Intl. Virtual Exhibit.
Juror: Jim Morphesis https://sfvacc.org/events/internal-dialogues
Seeing Red: Art Fluent, Juried by Amy Matteson Neill. https://www.art-fluent.com/seeing-red
Chasing Ghosts VII: Piercing the Veil Through Remembrance, Legacy and Beyond: Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR.
Juror: Jennifer Gillia Cutshall. https://www.verumultimumartgallery.com/projects-7
Brand 50 Annual National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper, Brand Library & Art Center, Glendale, CA.
Inspired by…:Long Beach Creative Group, Rod Briggs Memorial Gallery, Long Beach, CA
Red: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Juried Show, Mill Valley, CA. Virtual Exhibit. Juror: Jen Tough, https://www.ohanloncenter.org
Food Glorious Food! Cultural Center of Cape Cod, MASS. Virtual Exhibit. https://www.cultural-center.org/food-glorious-food-gallery
Surrealism Now! Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA. Juror: Andi Campognone
First Thursdays Salon Group Show: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA. https://www.ohanloncenter.org/2022/05/thursday-salon/
Mixed Metaphors Show: Collage Artists of Americas Annual Juried Intl. Virtual Exhibit. Juror: Bob Burridge https://sfvacc.org/mixed-metaphors
Monochromatic: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Juried Show, Mill Valley, CA. Juror: Suzanne Gray/Seager Gray Gallery, https://www.ohanloncenter.org/2022/01/monochromatic
2021
True Blue: Art Fluent, Virtual exhibit Juried by Amy Matteson Neill. https://www.art-fluent.com/true-blue
The Winter Show: Palos Verdes Art Center Juried, Palos Verdes, CA. Juror: Scarlet Cheng. https://pvartcenter.org/portfolio-item/the-winter-show-2021/
Picking Up the Pieces: Collage Artists of Americas Annual Juried Intl. Virtual Exhibit. Juror: La Monte Westmoreland. https://sfvacc.org/picking-up-the-pieces
National Collage Society 37th Annual Juried. Merit Award Winner. http://www.nationalcollage.com/2021awards.html
Chasing Ghosts VI: Piercing the Veil Through Remembrance, Legacy and Beyond: Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR.
Juror: Jennifer Gillia Cutshall. https://www.verumultimumartgallery.com/chasing-ghosts-vi
Connection: Art Fluent, Juried. https://www.art-fluent.com/connection
ConTEXT: Art Fluent, Juried, https://www.art-fluent.com/context
HxWxD-Celebrating 3D Art: SFVACC Juried, https://www.sfvacc.org/
Small Works 21: National Collage Society, http://www.nationalcollage.com/2021smallformat.html
An Image is Worth 1000 Words: Arts Center East Juried, Vernon, CT, https://artscentereast.org/
Parallel Dimensions: Collage Artists of America/SCORE Juried. Juror: John Greco https://sfvacc.org/parallel-dimensions
2020
The Winter Show: Palos Verdes Art Center Juried Show, Palos Verdes, CA
Members Show: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA
The Golden Hour: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts Juried Show, Mill Valley, CA
It’s About Time: Collage Artists of America Juried Exhibit, www.sfvacc.org/
2019
Mixed Media: Las Lagunas Gallery Juried, Laguna Beach, CA
OTHER PROFESSIONAL HISTORY:
Collage Artists of America Board Member: Exhibits Chair, 2022-
Drawing/Painting Teacher: K-12
Costume Designer: Diverse projects in film, television, theatre, opera and dance. Varied positions-assistant, costume illustrator, scenic artist, craftsperson/milliner/masks and misc.
EDUCATION:
Cal State Northridge/Cal State LA: Teaching Credential, Single Subject Art
New York University: MFA, Costume Design
Tyler College of Art, Philadelphia: BFA, Painting