Los Angeles artist Alia Penner on her technicolor collaboration with Swiss high jeweler Piaget:
Recently, between her swirl of projects, Penner connected with Artnet News from her home studio in Los Angeles to talk about her creative process, her love for old Hollywood, and—thanks to Piaget—her newfound obsession with gold.How would you describe your practice, and how did you start making art in the first place?
I didn’t know its history of working with artists like Salvador Dalí, and how it’s been around forever. So I was very honored when they asked me to participate in this project.Getting to make paintings that are framed, that are going to be hung on a wall, is something I haven’t done in a while. Especially when you’re something that the art world can’t necessarily nail down, being able to put your work up on the wall and be like, “Yes, I’m an artist” is really gratifying.
It’s interesting to look at these magazines because even though it’s a hundred years ago, to me, it feels so relatable, like almost nothing has changed. My main character for the larger piece is the movie star Marion Davies, who was William Randolph Hearst’s mistress for his whole life. I love the Hearst Castle; I love the blues of the Roman pool.
I used gouache for these pieces. I have not painted with gouache since I was in college. I love how chalky it is—it feels almost plastic-y. And I like to mix my colors based on the color that came before. So each color tells me what to do next. It’s vibrational.Your paintings are being installed inside Piaget’s new Rodeo Drive boutique, which will have an exclusive high jewelry collection inspired by Los Angeles and its sky.
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