Penelope Bushman

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Penelope Bushman

Penelope Bushman grew up surrounded by the beautiful sand dunes of Northern Indiana. Living close to the beach she was inspired to paint watercolors of the area at age 14. As a teenager, she also studied sculpting under the direction of an Egyptian sculptor named Mustafa Naguib.

Penelope moved to the Southwest after completing her training in fine art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Inspired by the rich beauty of the Southwest, Penelope was drawn to the petroglyphs observed while hiking in the mountains. “How fascinating to see images on rock that were done thousands of years ago and are still here to tell their stories”. Penelope translates the ancient imagery into contemporary colorful portrayals of Shaman and Sentinels. “I’m intrigued by the shaman figure in petroglyphs for all it symbolizes; healing, wisdom, and the quest for spiritual connection”.

These original oil paintings on canvas are often embellished with hand-strung beadwork and textured backgrounds. The detail of the Shaman’s gowns are beautiful depictions of fabric design.

Through her love of color and texture, Penelope’s abstracts explore the array of human emotion. “I think an abstract can describe emotions much like music, allowing the viewer to relate to it and identify a moment of the soul”. Her body of work, also including landscapes and figurative works, utilizes a variety of media such as watercolor, acrylics and oils. Recent works show a more abstracted landscape, focusing on trees or the beautiful Sedona red rocks. Combined with overlapping rich color in the foreground, allowing interpretation by the viewer.
Considered “functional art”, Penelope’s original glasses and vases are painted with permanent enamels that the artist fires onto the glass to ensure the durability of the design. The glasses are safe to use with all beverages, including alcoholic drinks such as wine, blended drinks, etc. Some collectors use their Bushman glassware to serve desserts with a flare.

Penelope is nationally recognized as an artist of contemporary mixed media, and Exposures International Gallery is proud to display her diverse works. Her art is always evolving, and showcases her love of texture and her great sense of color!