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Biography
Penelope Speier graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in 1966 with a B.S.F.A. in Art History. Throughout the years, Speier has applied her interest in the arts by developing a rich history of community involvement both as an artist, and as an advocate for the arts in education.
Speier uses a variety of mediums, including painting and collage on paper. An airy, luminous quality pervades her spiritually inspired work. Her travels to Japan have helped to deepen and focus her interests in the interrelationship of time and memory. Recent work has been inspired by her last two trips: a study of Japanese papermakers who are considered national treasures of their country; and a pilgrimage to Buddhist temples devoted to Kannon, the goddess of compassion.
Speier has had two solo shows at Parchman Stremmel Gallery, and shown her work in Austin and Michoacan, Mexico. As President of O4ARTS, Speier directs the San Antonio Visual Thinking Strategies Program (VTS), an art viewing program for inner-city elementary school students. In addition, Speier is also developing the Moving Waters Program, which focuses on the San Antonio River in order to provide educational opportunities that utilize the discovery based learning to ignite the imaginations of students through art, observation and ecology.
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