Channing Penna
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Come. Come close. Ride with me for a while. I cannot speak of the world but I can take you to a realm in which concepts rise out of mysterious depths and visual sound gives voice to fleeting shadows, sudden understandings, and curious calls for attention. Here is the burning point where I am alive and exposed, where primal signals beckon for attention.

After years of portraiture there came a time when I cleared the easel and began again, giving in to the desire to find what it was that made my heart quicken. As a child I had been captivated by the raging beauty of thundering surf, the rush from dreams of being able to fly, and the roll of drumming hoof beats, motifs that have intrigued humankind since the first person applied charcoal to the wall of a cave. Initially it was disquieting to discover that the flip side of this imagery would face me with my greatest fears. Amidst the majesty of the ocean lies the nightmare of undercurrent. A bird's wondrous flight becomes a need to rescue or escape. The electrifying cadence of a horse turns into terror of losing control. There have been many falls. Portraying what I fear has been as engrossing as what enchants, for both awaken inherent rhythms and offer a sense of the free and untamed. movingline tracks these sensations. While connecting me with a seemingly ancient inner tide, they are also an investment in surprise.

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Channing is a self trained artist. With a passion for drawing that has spanned fifty years, she believes that the creative potential of the basic pencil has barely been explored. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, Tony.