Craig Penny
on his own art, at the floor talk
Adjudicator, GEAS Members Exhibition
Craig Penny, Flowers in Red, Acrylic on Canvas, 94 x 94 cm
Still Life -flowers
I don’t often tackle still life. This work was a demonstration. I used magenta liquid paint, squirted on and dripping. I was experimenting to see what happened.
​
Influence of Arthur Streeton
In Dymocks, amongst books on Australian Impressionism, there was an Arthur Streeton beach scene tree on the cover of a book. I was blown away by the colours he used: red, white, cerulean blue, all with his brush dragged across the canvas for the foliage. I bought the book for the cover image. In my own painting I brought bits of colour into everything, whether right or wrong, I try to put them in so they belong. You don’t see cerulean blue in a tree, or magenta light in the sky. All this I learned from Streeton.
Workshops
In the workshops I run, one of the exercises I do is to set a one hour challenge, set the time for the work to be finished. It is a fascinating exercise. People choose the class because they like how I splash on the paint. This can create funny shapes, like kangaroos in the trees.
Brushes
I use mainly flat brushes. I use Da Vinci synthetic brushes because they are soft and light. I also use 2 ½ inch bristle brushes.
Craig Penny, Murray River Echuca, Acrylic on Canvas, 65 x 96 cm
Landscapes
I just start. I use a tinted gesso background, then I start drawing with an HB pencil. I set a deadline/timelimit. I like to leave some darks. If I use a medium, it is a gel retarder, or an impasto medium to give the paint more body. I want the brush strokes to be enhanced, through the use of the impasto medium. These are acrylic paints I use.
Everything gets a coat of Atelier mat varnish painted on when the work is finished. Then I photograph the art work. You can take a photograph after a gloss varnish [but more difficult? (implied)]. I use an i-Phone Pro to take a 10 MB picture and then enhance it to a 20 MB image.