“I like to think that to paint a successful painting is not so much to have tamed the beast, rather to have been taken along for the ride and still be there at the end of the experience. For me painting is like life … giving yourself enough skill, knowledge and integrity and then letting yourself free to take what is thrown your way. You don’t need to tame and control it for magic to happen… you just need to be there at the end.” – Craig Penny

Born in Mildura in 1961, Craig Penny showed an interest in art and drawing at a very young age. In 1970, his family moved to the Western District of Victoria. His love of art saw him enrol in the art course at Hamilton Technical School in 1976. At the age of 16 his artistic interests extended into ceramics and sculpture, and he constructed several wood fired kilns in his parents’ backyard.

Craig Penny studied art at the Ballarat College of Advanced Education, now Ballarat University, where painting and graphic design attracted most of his attention. Craig pursued a successful career as an illustrator in the advertising industry and became a member of the Illustrators Association of Australia.

Craig’s career has progressed into a range of mediums including skills in computer graphics. As a result Craig has also undertaken a successful career in teaching both traditional drawing and illustration and digital drawing and illustration at both Victoria University and Swinburne University. Throughout this time, he never lost his love of using traditional methods and subsequently specialized in watercolour and acrylic painting and illustrations. This has lead to an extremely successful solo career.