{"id":356,"date":"2023-08-23T10:38:55","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T10:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/?page_id=356"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:45:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:45:32","slug":"home-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/?page_id=356","title":{"rendered":"ABOUT ME"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-356\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-356-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-356-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-356-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"236\" height=\"456\" src=\"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn111-1.jpg?v=1709328974\" class=\"image wp-image-399  attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn111-1.jpg?v=1709328974 236w, https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn111-1-155x300.jpg?v=1709328974 155w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-356-0-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-356-0-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"1\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>\u201cMirror Image Self-Portrait\u201d 1996.<br \/>\nOil on Canvas Board.<br \/>\n43.5cm (H) x 22.5cm (W)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-356-1\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-356-1-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-356-1-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"2\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><strong>Artist Statement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am a Cape Town\u2013based portrait painter whose work explores psychological presence, vulnerability, and the emotional interior of my sitters. Working primarily in oil and acrylic, I employ heightened light, distortion, and often unnaturalistic colour to intensify atmosphere and deepen narrative tension within the painted surface.<\/p>\n<p>I paint both directly from life and from photographic studies I compose myself. My process is intuitive and tactile, allowing the materiality of paint to remain visible and active in the work. Surface, gesture, and chromatic disruption are used not as embellishment, but as structural elements that reveal the sitter\u2019s inner world.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2010, I have worked as a full-time professional artist, concentrating predominantly on portraiture. My practice is rooted in sustained observation and long engagement with the human subject. Rather than seeking likeness alone, I aim to evoke psychological resonance \u2014 the quiet tension between exterior appearance and interior life.<\/p>\n<p>I have undertaken multiple residencies at the Cit\u00e9 Internationale des Arts in Paris (1996, 2012, 2025) and have exhibited widely in South Africa and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>My work is held in private collections across South Africa and Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-356-2\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-356-2-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-356-2-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_media_image panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"3\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"233\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn16dd-233x300.jpg?v=1709329003\" class=\"image wp-image-241  attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn16dd-233x300.jpg?v=1709329003 233w, https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/fenn16dd.jpg?v=1709329003 351w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 233px) 100vw, 233px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-356-2-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-356-2-1-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"4\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>\u201cHoney for Tea\u201d 2016.<br \/>\nOil on Canvas.<br \/>\n50cm (H) x 40cm (W)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-356-3\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-356-3-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-mobile-last\" ><div id=\"panel-356-3-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"5\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p><strong>Portrait Commissions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I undertake a limited number of portrait commissions annually.<\/p>\n<p>Commissions are developed in close consultation with the sitter and may involve photographic sittings and live studies.<\/p>\n<p>Enquiries are welcome via email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-356-3-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><\/div><div id=\"pg-356-4\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-356-4-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-mobile-last\" ><div id=\"panel-356-4-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_text panel-first-child panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" >\t\t\t<div class=\"textwidget\"><p>\u00a9 Patricia Fenn 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><div id=\"pgc-356-4-1\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell panel-grid-cell-empty\" ><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cMirror Image Self-Portrait\u201d 1996. Oil on Canvas Board. 43.5cm (H) x 22.5cm (W) Artist Statement I am a Cape Town\u2013based portrait painter whose work explores psychological presence, vulnerability, and the emotional interior of my sitters. Working primarily in oil and acrylic, I employ heightened light, distortion, and often unnaturalistic colour to intensify atmosphere and deepen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-356","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":78,"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":591,"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356\/revisions\/591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriciafennartist.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}