Steve Penley - Bold Color, Vivid Imagery, American Artist

Steve Penley is an incredibly talented painter best known throughout the South, specifically in Georgia. His bold, expressive brush strokes are alive with energy, which can give the canvas a 'caution - wet paint' look long after the artwork is adorning a wall. An author of several well-received specialty art books, Penley has the potential to emerge from the South into one of America's great artists of the 21st century.

I was first introduced to Steve Penley's artwork through my brother and sister-in-law, David & Carrie Fischer, who are University of Georgia graduates and residents of Atlanta. Having grown up in Macon and Athens Georgia, Penley studied art at UGA and later at the School of Visual Arts in New York. It was during several Autumn visits to Athens for football games and bar crawls that I began to see his artwork hanging in boutique clothing shops and framing intimate rooms in restaurants. With a sincere appreciation for the style of art that he creates, I ended up purchasing my first painting in 2007, a 3' X 4' action depiction of two (2) jockeys atop their thoroughbreds in the final strides of a Triple Crown race. The serene background of a blue sky mixed with a blurred treeline contrasts with the strain and power that can be seen in the defined muscles of the horses and outstretched upper extremities of the jockeys. Since that time, I have also acquired a print that Penley created of the golfer Bobby Jones.

As mainstream America returns to realism and figurative artwork, corporate and private collectors alike have sought out Penley’s work. Collectors include Coca-Cola, King and Spalding, Morgan Keegan, Houston’s Corporation, ESPN Zone and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Robert Mondavi and Sterling vineyards in Napa Valley feature Steve Penley’s art. Politicians who have commissioned Penley’s art include Jack Watson and Hamilton Jordan; both former White House Chief’s of Staff, Zell Miller, State Senator of Georgia and US Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. (Source: Printing & Image Association of Georgia)

While I don't particularly share all his views on the world (as posted upon his website), I do strongly believe we can all agree he is sincere in his vision of America and its heros, which he captures so well on the canvas for our and future generations to appreciate.

For more information, visit www.stevepenley.com