Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Penley.
Carrie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
After graduating from The University of Georgia, I began my career in interior design. During most of my twenties working for Dan Carithers and Dotty Travis were both dream opportunities for me. I soaked in as much as could on art, interior design, architecture, antiques, travel as well as how to run a successful, independent business. Post assistant design positions I opened my own firm and married an artist who was just beginning to make his name known in Atlanta. Three children later and his growing business led me to abandon my firm and take up the reigns for his career.. paying bills was not his thing. During this time I would pick up the paintbrush when I was able… or as time would allow. Circumstances changed and years later I found myself back to ground zero trying to decide how to forge a new career from scratch while balancing the demands of motherhood. Thankfully supportive friends and family encouraged me to go for it. One even refused to help me get a job in her father’s company because she said I needed to paint. So I did. I often wonder when looking at my earliest paintings why in the world people encouraged me. Flash forward to April of this year when I completed my first over scale piece, a 5′ x 15′ longhorn skull for Arnette’s Chop Shop, I am thankful they did. Doubt and insecurity still remain but little by little, as I (sometimes reluctantly) challenge myself to go beyond comfort zones, I continue to grow as an artist.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My art is often mixed media. Apparently I have had an interest in scissors and glue since kindergarten when I would hoard the craft supplies and make the other children wait to use them. I have mellowed since then (some may argue) but I still love to use torn or cut paper from discarded magazines, books and whatever glue-able material I can find in thrift stores or from friends and arrange/rearrange on the canvas until I feel there is balance. Afterwards, I paint in the subject. Sometimes I leave lots of the collage material visible. In other paintings it becomes a subtle texture that is barely discernible.
I experiment with many different styles and genres but my subject of choice is wildlife. I paint wildlife for the sake of reminding my audience we have beautiful creatures worthy of admiration and protection. If there is a theme that occurs it is often the juxtaposition of majestic animals like the Scottish stag or the horse with collaged logos of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada and other high end, luxury products. These unadorned animals are most beautiful in their natural state… so are we. In our commercially driven world we are sold on adornments. I have two daughters, I want them to grow up knowing they are beautiful as God made them. Beauty comes from inside and most importantly in how we treat others. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate aesthetically pleasing, well-made products and would love to one day have a pair of red-soled Louboutins. But I do these type of paintings to remind myself to stay grounded and not to let money and status define who I am as a person.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
The best advice I can give is to be authentic and accept that you can’t do everything. Comparing yourself to other artists with how much they produce, how often they post, how many followers they have, or their career successes is disruptive to the creative process at best. To be authentic for me is to accept I am somewhat of a private person and that’s okay. It took me weeks to come up with the courage to do this interview. Selling and producing art is not easy, or at least not for me. As I learn to open up with my audience, I want it to be real and not an inflated version of myself or my career. In the meantime, hopefully my introversion will add some mystery to my work.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work is shown in several locations throughout Atlanta including BD Jeffries, Buckhead Art & Co and Atlanta Artist Collectives in Buckhead. I have worked at Serena & Lily on the West Side and Marguerite’s on Dresden in Brookhaven. Instagram is my go-to for the latest paintings and event news @carriepenleyart as well as my website www.carriepenleyart.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carriepenleyart.com
- Phone: 404-550-2116
- Email: info@carriepenleyart.com
- Instagram: carriepenleyart
- Twitter: carriepenleyart
Image Credit:
Mary Stark Photography, Classical Photography
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