Artworks by steve pennisi

The discovery of my technique “Painting with Both Sides of the Paint” grew out of my desire to “own something” as an artist. Uncovering the hidden side of painting radically shifted my career. In my earlier work, I was frustrated knowing that after a point, the rest of the process was just a matter of moving to the inevitable conclusion. The discovery of my technique  happened one day when the corner of dry paint on my waxed paper disposable palette peeled up revealing underlying gestural patterns previously hidden from the artist. After many experiments I found that I could paint on clear cellophane and when I glued it to the canvas the film would peel off, essentially creating printing plates. Plus if I liked what I was also doing on the visible surface, I could lay a piece of clear film on the wet paint and capture that image too, giving me access to “both sides of the paint”.
By stretching the boundaries of artistic conventions such as illusionistic depth, distinct figure and ground, I am able to bend the paint the way a musician bends a note…to end up with a less obvious, more poetic approximation in my work.