California-based wildlife artist
Cristina Penescu, Cautious Observation, scratchboard, 14 x 11.
Art Education: I am entirely self-taught, and I have not had any formal art education outside of one advanced-placement course in high school.
Style: Representational realism. I enjoy creating artwork with intricate, precise details. My medium of choice is scratchboard, which lends itself to finely detailed, dramatic work.
Creative Spark: The beauty of the natural world is my main inspiration. I find the small details fascinating—the intricate texture of an animal’s leathery nose, the way eyes glow like jewels when illuminated by sunlight at just the right angle. Many may not notice these things, but they are things that I am aware of in my daily life.
Second-Choice Career: Veterinary medicine. My love of the scientific world and animals, coupled with a strong desire to make a difference, has made medicine a natural choice for me. I am currently in college studying preveterinary medicine, and while I will continue to create artwork on a regular basis, I look forward to a career where I can make a difference in the lives of both the animals that inspire me and the people who love them.
Future Goals: To promote scratchboard in the hopes that one day it will attain the same respect among galleries and collectors as oil, acrylic, and watercolor.
Price Range: $450 to $12,000.
View other 21 Under 31 artists from 2012
Featured in the September 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
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