Pennie Fien

Artist Statement

I am a mixed media artist creating visual biographies and narratives about identity, memory and the individual’s personal and societal presentation, I am particularly interested in the female point of view outside of the male gaze. I suppose I am a kind of a portraitist, depicting specific people to express the specific concepts. I like to experiment with different media, using image transfers, monoprints, unusual cropping, symbolic objects, etc. to express my subject’s true reality as opposed to relying solely on direct photographic realism. Like most mixed media artists, I am a collector. I find joy in finding intriguing things, then finding the most articulate and meaningful place for it to dwell.
As a storyteller and (former Costume Designer) I’m fascinated by history-I look backward and forward as well as at the here and now. Context, comparison and contrast are key. In my process content is always the driving force. I spark on an image, which leads me to explore the world it inhabits-events, songs, other people, etc. Sometimes ideas travel far. An original spark may not wind up prominently featured as the composition develops. There will usually be many layers, conceptually & literally. The viewer is invited to look deeply at my journey and discover their own narrative in it.