Nessi Penman
Vanessa Penman also known as Nessi Penman is a contemporary impressionist impasto painter creating works which invite the viewer into the natural world of flowers and lush landscapes.
'My desire when I paint is to create works which instill within the viewer a deeper sense of calm and appreciation for nature and the paradise we live in. My objective is to draw people into my artworks so that they can find the creative spirit within themselves. I believe that we are all artists - may not be in paint or clay or charcoal, but we have the power to create beauty in our own environments and share that with others.
I cannot say for sure where my love for oil painting came from, but one of my earliest memories were when my mother would take me to the art store once a month on her payday and she would buy me 'paint-by-numbers' and I would fall in love with the smell of those little tubs of paint and the distinct smell of the linseed oil contained therein - every time.
Growing up in South Africa, the African landscape and its rich colours embedded themselves within my spirit. Irma Stern, Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet are the three artists whose work I resonate with the most. I love their use of texture, emotion and dominant brush strokes.
It makes you feel like you are observing a painting - not a photograph. Your eyes dance across the canvas trying to understand what the artist did and what they were seeing and feeling. As a self-taught artist, I have been guided by my intuition, the medium and the artwork itself. It is my personal experience that I am only a conduit - the artwork creates itself through me.
I had the privilege of meeting Pino Daeni and Howard Behrens - contemporary masters who have inspired me in both genre and technique.
I have a passionate love for nature and animals. My deepest desire is that I use my talent to bring the viewer closer to experiencing flora and fauna within their own homes - a relief from the concrete jungle we live in.
Since the digital economy has afforded artists an opportunity to communicate directly with collectors, I revel in hearing from you and love building relationships with every single person who has one of my works.’
EXHIBITIONS
Group exhibition – Young Blood, Cape Town, South Africa, 2024
Group exhibition - Flagstaff Gallery, Devonport Auckland, New Zealand 2022
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