I am primarily a watercolour artist with a passion for painting outside ‘plein air’ where the weather, atmosphere and happenings of the day all contribute towards the completed work. I particularly enjoy painting open landscapes. Trees, plants, flowers, buildings and water within the landscape are subjects that I return to repeatedly.
I also like to paint inside in a more leisurely way and enjoy painting flowers and found objects in representative and more abstract approaches.
In a search to explore and find different ways to make less directly representative paintings, I have recently begun working in a new way for me – making a series of quick sketches when outside in the landscape, collaging them together back at home to produce one image which sometimes leads to another painting to convey the feeling of the place rather than a more literal interpretation.
I have exhibited work at the National Trust’s Anglessey Abbey, at The Hayard Gallery in Ely and Ely Court House with Ely Art Society, and with the Society of East Anglian Watercolourists at the open exhibitions at The Edmund Gallery in Bury St Edmunds, Snape Maltings, The Babylon Gallery in Ely, Snape Maltings, Burwash Manor and at the Handa Gallery, Wells-next.the-Sea . I have also exhibited at the SEAW selected exhibitions at the Wymondham Arts Centre and The Babylon Gallery, I have entered and taken art in the annual Babylon Selected Summer Exhibition in Ely and at the selected Art In The Open Exhibition at Greenacres Gallery in Wexford, Ireland.
I was the proud winner of ‘The Museum of the Broads’ Watercolour Challenge in both 2012 and 2013.
In 2020, I entered the postcard ‘Running With Brushes’ challenge to fund raise for the charity ‘Care for Casualties’. One of my little paintings was chosen by judge Soroya French, President of SWA (Society of Women Artists) as one of her top three.
Artist's journey
SEAW Selected Exhibition Autumn 2020
This year, the SEAW selected exhibition is taking place online. 304 paintings by 81 artists were entered and the final online exhibition consists of 165 paintings by 71 artists. The three judges – Lillias August, John Crossley and Julia Sorrell are all active members of…
Running With Brushes Postcard challenge results July 2020
Since May 15th, the SEAW has been running a Painting Positive Postcards competition to help Vandy Massey get closer to her 1000 paintings for charity initiative – Running with Brushes. She received 103 postcards from members and friends in the 6 weeks of the competition with…
ISOLartION – a glimpse through Penny’s studio window
My painting of Diss was featured in the SEAW series of ISOLartION articles. The aim of the articles was to give the public an idea of what the artists of the Society were thinking, feeling and doing during lockdown. My article was published on 1…