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CRAIG PENNY

Born in Mildura in 1961, Craig showed an interest in art and drawing at a very young age. In 1970, his family moved to the Western District of Victoria. His love of art saw him enrol in the art course at Hamilton Technical School in 1976. At the age of 16 his artistic interests extended into ceramics and sculpture, and he constructed several wood fired kilns in his parents' backyard.

Craig studied art at the Ballarat College of Advanced Education, now Ballarat University, where painting and graphic design attracted most of his attention. He found his strongest influence was by master illustrator and artist, Dougal Ramsey. Craig pursued a career as an illustrator in the advertising industry and became a member of the Illustrators Association of Australia. In the early 1990's, Craig studied at night school in computer graphics. In the mid 1990's, he was approached by Victoria University and Swinburne University to teach in both drawing and illustration.

Having obtained the skills in digital graphics, Craig however, rediscovered his love of painting and the use of traditional methods.

In 2001, Craig had his first major solo exhibition.
His solo exhibitions now total 11.
He works in Watercolour, Gouache and Acrylic.

ARTISTS STATEMENT

I believe painting has the ability to elevate the senses. It has the propensity to disobey the artist and the outcome is never a surety. To have painted a successful work is to have tamed the beast, this time. I experience a unique elation by having beaten the odds.

My paintings explore various concepts of streetscapes, waterways and landscapes. I use a combination of visible brush strokes with softly interwoven strokes that tend to be less defined, and blend these with surplus amounts of water and colour pigment.

MUTAWINTJI (MOOTWINGI) NATIONAL PARK

My first trip to this part of Australia was in April 2005. The landscape images depict various impressions of scenes inspired by the Bynguano Range, which dominate the Mutawintj National Park. The movement and awakening of the landscape was a revelation to me and influenced the use of colour and light.

Mutawintji National Park (place of green grass and water holes) is 131 km northeast of Broken Hill. It is a sacred aboriginal area endowed with the spirituality of its original owners.