WildHeart Art's
~Artist of The Month~
"Shelly Penko"
1)
Have
you always been creative and had a desire to be an artist?
As soon as I was old enough to hold a crayon, I knew I wanted to be an
artist. My mom has always been very
artistic, a fabulous painter, so it was something we did together. My poor mom…I used to have fits when I
couldn’t make my paintings look how I wanted!
I had the vision, but not the skills.
Now I have more skills and I’m much more open to letting paintings evolve
rather than insisting they fit a predetermined vision. I’ve learned that painting is much more fun
when approached that way!
1) What
are your most favorite mediums to work with?
I love acrylics, water mixable oils, and I’m just learning Adobe
Illustrator. I love all of them for
different reasons.
Acrylics are fabulous because they are very immediate. They dry quickly and because of that,
multiple layers are possible and add so much mystery, history and spontaneity
to the process. Acrylics are the perfect
medium for intuitive, playful and experimental painting.
Water mixable oils are wonderful too.
They dry faster than regular oils, but much slower than acrylics. That
extra time allows for beautiful blending and soft edges that are difficult to
achieve in acrylic. I love that they
don’t require turpentine to clean up and have very low odor.
My latest love is Adobe Illustrator.
I’ve only just begun and am a complete newbie, but I love all that is
possible with this program! It combines
two things I love, computers and art!
I’ve just learned to scan in drawings and turn them into vectors so I
can work with them. What a blast! What I love the most is how you can take one
drawing and do so many different things with it, like changing the colors,
resizing, changing direction and so much more. I’m finding it very challenging,
but I think I’m going to love it!
2) Do
you have other artists in particular, that inspire you and if so who and why.
I have always loved Picasso, Matisse and Chagall. Picasso and Matisse were so original. They weren’t tied to a specific style, but
rather tried new things their entire lives.
Yet somehow, their style shines through in everything they did, from cubism
to paper cuts. I love how they used
color and created images that didn’t have a lot of shading, but were defined by
color and composition. I’m always
fighting with myself to not paint realistically, to not add so many shadows and
highlights. In some ways, it’s like
unlearning years of art school. But
isn’t that one of the fantastic things about making art? We’re never through! Wonderful discoveries await in each new
project!
Chagall has always been a favorite because his art has a gentleness and
happiness that is rarely seen in art. So
much of the “famous” art is about the harshness of the world. I love that Chagall was not afraid to be
romantic and whimsical.
3)
Do
you have a favorite piece of artwork that you have created and if so, why is it
your favorite?
Figure 1 Bohemian Beauty
Acrylic on Canvas - 24x30"
© 2013 Shelly Penko
Acrylic on Canvas - 24x30"
© 2013 Shelly Penko
My latest piece is almost always my favorite! My newest painting is
called Bohemian Beauty. It’s full of
colors and layers and marks. It’s a fun mixture
of vibrant, busy colors and patterns contrasted with a calm, peaceful
subject. And of course, my little black
Chihuahua appeared even though I intended to paint a generic doggy!
Figure 2 Journey of Sisterhood
Acrylic on canvas - 24x36"
© 2012 Shelly Penko
Acrylic on canvas - 24x36"
© 2012 Shelly Penko
My other favorite piece is called Journey of Sisterhood. It’s a favorite because it seems to touch a
lot of people. I love that that almost
all the people who have purchased prints of this piece have told me moving
stories about what it means to them. (Almost
everyone says, “I’m the one looking up at the sky, my head in the
clouds!”) The fact that people see
themselves and their special relationships in it brings me such
satisfaction. I painted it to honor all
the women in my life who have helped me in the last year as I struggle to survive
divorce and starting over in my life. It
is a special piece to me and I love that others find meaning in it as
well.
4) If
you could sum up your style in one paragraph what would it be?
I think most of my art is about the beauty of life. Sometimes it’s a bittersweet beauty, but like
Chagall, I tend to focus on the wonder, the love, the sweetness. I may paint
something recognizable or something abstract, but always there is an emotion
underneath. I use color with abandon and
most of my work is very vibrant. I love
to paint both people and animals and one of my favorite subjects is women with
their dogs. My dogs are such a joy in my
life and always have been, so I guess it’s natural that they show up in my
work.
5)
Where
is your favorite spot to create your artwork?
I usually paint in my “studio” which is really just a bedroom in my house
that I’ve set up with all my art and easels.
I think wherever we paint; we should call it our studio…whether it’s a
corner in the dining room, the patio or the garage! To call our creative space a studio, no
matter how small, is part of honoring what we do as artists.
6)
What
is your favorite color palette to work with?
It depends on the week! Lately I
can’t seem to stop myself from putting hot pink and orange side by side, but I
always love blue and turquoise too.
Turquoise is probably my favorite color of all time!
7)
Do
you have some favorite products you like to use when creating?
I love Golden fluid acrylics. They
are so vibrant and intensely pigmented.
I can achieve effects with Golden that just aren't possible with other
paints.
8)
Was
there any one person who was a major influence for you while growing up and
throughout your creative “art journey”?
My mom has always been a huge influence and inspiration in my life. She is a talented artist and instilled in me an
appreciation of all things beautiful, a positive attitude, and a belief in
myself that I could do anything I put my mind to. I know not everyone has that kind of support,
and I’m thankful that I am so blessed!
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful artwork Shelly and a little bit about yourself!!
Feel free to visit Shelly and her beautiful artwork at any of these links!
Fun interview! It is always nice to get to "know" the artists!
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview with Shelly. She's a wonderful artist. I love her artwork. Well done.
ReplyDelete