Joyce Pensato, I KILLED Kenny, Artist Interview

Joyce Pensato has an exhibition I KILLED KENNY Santa Monica Museum of Art. Artists working with comic imagery always intrigue me so I was happy to see Phong Bui published his interview with Pensato in the Brooklyn Rail. Pensato discusses her interest in Batman vs. Spiderman, her time at NY Studio School and her struggles with color.

Phong Bui asked if she was drawing and painting at the same time...
Pensato responded:

Not really. I started out drawing first with charcoal, because charcoal was the number one thing at the Studio School. Then when I tried painting with color I would just lose all the graphic elements. I couldn’t get the same clarity of forms in space as I could with my drawing. It took me until 1990 to realize the color was not working for me. I remember asking Christopher what paint he was using, and he said 1Shot enamel paint. It was a paint I didn’t know anything about, so I thought I couldn’t screw it up. more

Joyce Pensato, IKILLED KENNY, Santa Monica Museum of Art

Juice Man
2009
Enamel and metallic paint on linen
90 x 72 inches

Moto Mouth
2009
Enamel on linen
90 x 72 inches

Waldo (part of set of 5)
2008
Enamel on linen
48 x 40 inches