Ignite Studios Artist Residency  |  August - September 2025

A full-time artist, Penny is a founding member of the Castlemaine Press, a member of the Goldfields Printmakers group, and has been actively involved in artist-run spaces and initiatives in Melbourne since the early 2000s. She has a PhD in Art History from La Trobe University, and in addition to completing a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and a Diploma of Visual Art, she has attended workshops with teachers that include Basil Hall, Sarah Amos, Glen Skein and Diane Fogwell. She regularly runs workshops in gel-plate printing. 

Penny was part of the group exhibition, Time & Tide, at NRCG in 2024. Her work has been exhibited in Australia and abroad, and she has participated in print exchanges in Australia and internationally. 

I really enjoyed my three weeks at Ignite Studios. I was impressed by the comfort andspace of the accommodation and studio and the welcoming and accommodating staff. Ivery much appreciated the time and space to think about a new body of work. I reallywanted to do something about being near the water, so I spent a lot of time walkingthe beaches and watching the changing nature of the river and observing the wildlife. Ioriginally intended to drive to Ballina but circumstances were such this year that I was obliged to fly so was limited in materials and printmaking equipment I could take. Iworked mainly with the gel-plate making prints of the very large leaves of MacarangaTanaris, the Parasol or Bullock's Heart leaf tree. I also worked on pages of these andother nature prints, layering and combining them with some simple carved stampmotifs. These will become book/s, the structure of which is yet to evolve.

- Penny Peckham, 2025