The Chumley/Orr Gallery in Cleveland , Tennessee will feature the paintings of Chattanooga born artist Toby Penney in an exhibition titled Collecting Moments, which opens on Friday, September 22, 2006.  The exhibition will continue through Friday, October 20. A Reception will be held Friday, September 22, 5pm-8pm.

Ms. Penney currently resides in Tullahoma , Tennessee where she pursues painting full-time.  In recent years, she has traveled to diverse regions of the United States following her passion and having a notable impact on the art community where she settles.  Before moving to Tullahoma , Penney was the Artist-in-Residence for the Lowcountry Arts Alliance, as well as Artist-in-Residence for Church Studios, each located in Charleston , South Carolina .

About the new paintings Ms. Penney said, “Collecting Moments is the accumulation of recent work exploring time, space, and environment in an effort to convey my realization of the importance of the everyday.  The paintings are based on a remembrance or a concept the subject evokes, be it a person, place or object.  Each mark is a response to a moment at the same time holding its own place in time…  Inspiration can be as simple as light reflecting, found metal scraps, collected images from a photo safari or as vast as the Midwestern landscape.  Each painting is a compilation of simple moments linked to form a memory.  Each memory is connected by my mark to create a body of work similar to an historical text of my now, to be read in the future.”

Ms. Penney’s work has been exhibited throughout the country and in shows locally and regionally.  Her exhibition record is extensive.  Selective exhibits include: Spectrum at The Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga , Forty Years of Excellence at The Creative Arts Guild Gallery, Dalton , GA , and The Best of Tennessee Exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum , Nashville .  Other exhibitions include the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago , IL and Awakening in Atlanta , GA.   Her work is in numerous prestigious museums including: The Museum of Modern Art, NY; The High Museum, Atlanta ; The Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha , NE ; The South Carolina State Museum, Columbia , SC , among many others.

Chumley/Orr Gallery co-owner Jere Chumley said, “The first time that I saw Toby Penney’s work in 2000, I knew that she was destined for success as a painter.  Toby is full of vitality and it pours into her work.  Her romantic imagination and dramatic vision explodes onto the canvas making artists twice her age envious of her virtuosity.  Jack Orr and I are delighted to be able to offer Cleveland and the surrounding area the opportunity to see and acquire her work.”

Hours: 10am-6pm Tues-Sat