About the Artist

Artist's Statement

Portraiture is an interpretive art which serves to capture the essence of the human spirit, a moment in time and a genuine likeness, to be enjoyed by family and friends for years to come.

Throughout my life, I have always enjoyed studying people — imagining how I could capture their spirit in a form of art. Portraiture needs to have a quality that holds the viewer’s attention and creates a lasting impression of the subject’s character.

From the age of five, I was directly influenced by my great-grandfather’s stained glass studio. Louisville Art Glass Studio created a variety of figurative glass works portraying significant stories for religious organizations. From those experiences, I learned that art conveys a rich portrayal of life, of moments to hold on to, or stories that can be shared with all.

My fine art training, in landscape and portrait painting, began with observing art and visiting many museums nationally and around the world. While attending the Ringling School of Art, in Sarasota, my interest was piqued in painting portraits. The years I worked as a graphic artist in Manhattan, I attended The Art Student’s League and was greatly influenced by the portraitists I was exposed to and studied under. Through that experience (and winning the Best of Show award and a full scholarship) another career was born into me.

While I aspire to be as accomplished as many of the masters, I have developed my own style of painting which is somewhere between realism and impressionism. Most of the images herein are commissions for my portrait clientele. My commitment to my clients and myself is that I will create a genuine likeness and convey a glimpse of their character. To me, the most important and elemental aspect of facial features is the expression in the eyes. I paint portraits in all mediums and work with subjects of all ages, and with groups or individuals. In addition, I also paint Plein Air and create commissioned landscapes in oil and pastels.

After living and painting in Naples, Florida for eighteen years, I have recently relocated to my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. I have opened a studio in a post-Civil War building in Old Louisville, which provides a large space with natural light — an ideal place to paint my subjects. I continue to work with clients in Florida, especially when families visit grandparents during the spring — capturing children on the beach. In Florida, the sunsets, light, and beaches are infinitely more conducive to painterly expression, yet I tend to thrive in this beautiful part of the world, Kentucky, and love to have a change of seasons.

Page Penna