Penny Cagney

About

Cagney is a contemporary American visual artist whose interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections of figurative art, bodily interiority, and the physics of visual perception. Working primarily in oil painting, drawing and light, Cagney investigates the concepts of liminality, memory, and the biological and cultural subjectivity of sight. Cagney’s practice is grounded in formal studio training, having completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago following earlier degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. This background informs a conceptual approach that places traditional painting and drawing techniques into direct conversation with modern scientific inquiry. Her recent work examines how external environments and internal physical or psychological states interact, framing the human skin as an anatomical and experiential boundary. A cornerstone of Cagney’s current research is an ongoing collaboration with scientific innovators to explore how color is perceived across different species and visual conditions. Utilizing advanced optoelectronic tools—such as programmable monochromatic light systems—she designs multi-layered compositions that shift dynamically depending on the spectator's biological sight or the specific wavelengths of light illuminating the canvas. Through these experimental arrangements, her work challenges the assumption of a universal visual reality, pointing instead to the fragmented nature of individual experience. Cagney holds a BFA magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, an MA from Columbia College Chicago, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been presented in institutional and gallery exhibitions nationally, including the International Museum of Surgical Science (Chicago, IL), the Monterey Museum of Art (Monterey, CA), the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (Santa Ana, the Los Angeles Art Association (Los Angeles, CA, and the Arizona Science Center (Phoenix, AZ). She divides her time between Santa Cruz, California, and Tempe, Arizona.