Michelle Penington is a talented artist, painting professionally since 2000. She is also free-spirited, confident, passionate, determined, and some call her crazy and stubborn. She has several collectors.
Michelle is passionate about painting. She uses all of her emotional life experiences to tell us her story. Her artwork is filled with hidden meanings, some she shares, some she keeps to herself.
Michelle is Italian and was a ballet dancer from the age of 2-16, performing in a dance company in California for several years. She comes from a talented family. Her favorite grandmother was a dress designer in Hollywood. Her brother, Patrick, plays piano and can draw anything! Michelle has no musical talent but loves to add instruments in her paintings, usually guitars and drums. Michelle paints only in oil and prefers natural light while working. She often works night and day to finish commissioned paintings.
Michelle is a crazy, hopeless romantic. She enjoys capturing ‘moments’ as seen in a bar scene painting titled “Ends and Beginnings”. Painting titles are often a collaborative effort between Michelle and her singer/songwriter friend Ashley Norton. Visit her website at www.ashleynortonmusic.com.
Michelle has completed several collaborative paintings including “Nothing But Steam”, “Juliet” and most recently a painting to accompany a poem called “Sometimes I’m Cinderella, today I am the Princess”.
Street scenes are very important to her work. One recent painting has hundreds of windows, all meticulously planned and applied to the canvas.
Michelle moved from California to Arizona in 1997. This was a life changing move.
Michelle lives in Cave Creek, Arizona, a scenic, mountainous suburb of Phoenix. She has two children, two dogs, one tortoise, and a snake. She has never painted animals, but is considering it now. Her daughter plays piano and her son would like to play football someday.
Michelle’s favorite artists include Kahlo, Van Gogh, and Picasso. Michelle is inspired by many things, including what she calls her muse; someone who’s story intertwines with hers and makes her paintings sing.
Someday Michelle would like to own a vineyard, and would love to paint original artwork for wine bottle labels.
Michelle’s artwork can be seen in her private studio (by appointment only), or on line. Visit www.michellepenington.com and www.lulugracephotography.smugmug.com . Michelle donates an original painting to local charities each year, charities include The Desert Foothills Community Theatre and The Arizona Children’s Heart Association.
You can reach Michelle at mmpenington@cox.net. If you’re in the Cave Creek area, make an appointment to stop by and see this wonderfully creative artist at work!
Written by Judy Wood Artist/Poet/Writer (For more information see http://aztreasures.blogspot.com)
