This week on the blog, we had the opportunity to chat with artist Lorraine Pennington of Pennington & Plies. She’s known for her textural and calming artwork with the most incredible look and feel, particularly in person. As long-time fans, we’ve had the pleasure of commissioning Lorraine’s pieces throughout several of our projects, and we love her organic meets modern eye for design. For Lorraine, inspiration comes from everywhere and everything — from the environment that surrounds her to the way metal has eroded. Read on to learn more about her creative background as the daughter of a musician and her process when creating a new piece.
01 / We’re always gravitating to your pieces and love incorporating them into the spaces we design! Could you share a little about your creative background and your journey to where you are now?
My creative background has been influenced by my environment. I grew up in LA in an area called Echo Park and had a musician for a father. We had lots of musicians and artists in our home as a child. I was fascinated by these people. As I got older I gravitated towards expressing myself artistically. I designed a line of table top accessories and also a line of jewelry both I put on hold to concentrate on just painting.
02 / One of our favorite things about your pieces is how calming they are. How did you get your signature aesthetic?
My signature aesthetic is very calming and simple with an organic feeling. I want my artwork to evoke a sense of peace, we are all overstimulated and our home can be a place to rejuvenate. Having a calm piece of artwork in a space gives you a chance to ground yourself.
03 / We love the neutral tones, organic compositions, and raw textures in your mixed media artwork pieces. How do you determine things like color palette, composition, and material?
I first start with determining what feeling I want to evoke. I am known for lots of texture and more subtle colors.
04 / We’ve loved all the pieces you created for each of our projects. Can you tell us a little about the creative process when working on a commissioned piece?
My process for commissions is I usually ask the client for four photographs of my artwork that they liked. Also a photo of the space the artwork will hang. That gives me a better understanding of what the client is expecting and what the room needs as far as artwork in that space.
05 / How do you stay inspired to keep creating new pieces? What gives you the most inspiration?
I stay inspired by being aware of my environment. It can be the way metal has eroded or a piece of cement that is stained. Objects worn from time are beautiful to me and a big part of my art. I also find inspiration in interior design books, cooking etc. So much inspires me.
06 / Do you have a favorite project or piece that you’ve ever worked on?
I have been fortunate enough to work on many projects that I love and had so much fun and inspiration doing it. As far as a favorite piece of art there’s one that stands out that I originally did just for myself and it was very very textural and at the time I didn’t know if my clientele would embrace it. It turned out to be my biggest seller. I still have the original piece hanging in my dining room area.
07 / When you’re not working, what does your day-to-day look like?
Whether I’m working or not my day always starts with a latte. I love the whole process of making it. I have a cat and dog that are usually at my feet when I am painting so when I am not painting I can give them more attention. Reading and cooking are another passion of mine so I usually do that on days I’m not painting. My mom is artistic, so sometimes we do art projects together for fun. Last but not least I love just hanging out with my boyfriend laughing.
08 / What piece of advice would you share with aspiring artists and creators?
Find your people. It took me a long time to find out who my audience was. Instagram helps a lot with that.
09 / What are you working on at the moment, and what’s next for Pennington & Pleis?
I like the idea of artwork as sculpture so incorporating that look into my art where the piece can almost be a sculpture or a painting.
Thanks so much for following along with our interview with the artist behind Pennington & Pleis! For more, you can follow along with Lorraine at @lorrainepennington, and visit her website. If you missed our previous conversations with Rebecca Atwood, and Lyke Minded, head there to catch up. Until next time!