Trish Kearney Fenton (KeaFen) attended art school at California State University at Hayward from 1980 - 1984. At that time, she was primarily an abstract painter who studied with Professor Corban Lepell. After graduating from art school with a Bachelor of Fine Art, the harsh reality set in that it may be necessary to get a "real" job. KeaFen ended up in pool construction, which became her career for nearly 15 years. Unfortunately the construction business sucked all the creative, spiritual, and intellectual drive out of her and she felt compelled to make a big change. KeaFen went back to graduate school to get her MultiSubject Credential and Art Supplemental from Chapman University, quit pool construction, and became a teacher. She taught English, Social Studies, Reading, and Art at Pleasant Hill Middle School for 2 years. Now she is teaching Sixth Grade English and Social Studies at Hart Middle School in Pleasanton. She also teaches an after-school enrichment art class. ?This career change refueled her passion for art. Her art students inspired her and she felt a need to begin working on her own art again. Although she did create many works over the years, in the past five years she has been literally consumed with her new work. ?Her work expresses her interest in creating art that feels very old but is also reborn. Using collage is her frantic way of creating texture and color in her pieces. Collage is a fast and dynamic tool to change a piece of art. When it is working, the collage fits like a puzzle and the work becomes whole. ?KeaFen has been influenced by many artists such as Bearden, Frida Kahlo, Robert Rauschenberg, Vassily Kandinsky; as well as local artists, Linda Ryan, Corban Lepell, and Arnie Wolfe. ?KeaFen’s work has images of females that represent matriarchs or motherly figures. KeaFen lost her own mother in 1992 and this is a repeated theme in her work. Her art has begun to help heal some very internal wounds due to this loss. She is attracted to the beauty as well as the complexity of her female subjects. She tries to portray subjects that are maternal as well as sensual. The allure of this duplicity is an appealing area of study.

Artist Highlights

• ArtWanted.com Gallery:    Fine Art