"I look out at the sky, the mountains and desert landscape in order to draw on it for inspiration," says Penny Benjamin Peterson. "I love to watch the subtle changes in the landscape and light on the mountains. It gives me a wonderful sense of belonging, a connection to Mother Earth. I play a variety of music and let my mind start to wander. It is my personal journey into thought that I put on canvas. My thoughts are, of course, my life experiences. Life experiences are universal, after all, and mine speak in bold color, texture, shapes and brush strokes. I choose color, layers, shapes and texture to express my feelings about these life experiences. The layers symbolize our lives and the metamorphosis that takes place as we mature. The layers create subtle and sometimes dramatic changes that seem to mirror my life. The interrelationship of texture and color and how they influence each individual viewer intrigues me. When a viewer looks at one of my paintings and has an emotional reaction to it, I know I have communicated well."

"I was born in States Center, Iowa but I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. The warm, Arizona sun called my family out West when I was five. I have wonderful memories of living on the farm. Childhood: life is simple and life on the farm was magic. I am thankful that I had that beginning in my life. It took a few years for the memories of green and snow to fade but I grew to become a true desert rat. When the desert is in full bloom it is awesome. A lush desert sounds like an oxymoron but it does make quite a transformation. These prickly, sometimes dry looking, strange plants suddenly come alive with color. While it is still in the slumber state, as I like to call it, the desert is still beautiful with its subtle changes in terrain and the way the sunlight and evening sunset changes the colors of the mountains and the cacti. One needs to be quiet and pay attention to really appreciate the desert. I am influenced by these observations and my paintings reflect this with their bold splashes of color mixed with the serene, calming, spiritual effects of introspection.

When my older sister died in 1988 it began dramatic changes in my art. I met a wonderful teacher, Eleanor Harris, who became my mentor. She taught me about collage and non-objective shapes. she helped me define my interest and abilities in collare and abstraction. I made another shift in my paintings while studying with Louise Cadillac in Greece. I've developed my own unique way of composition, texture and color. My paintings are owned by corporate and private collectors throughout the United States, Canada and China.

Sharing my art is an important part of being an artist. I have organized art auctions for Arizona Easter Seals and led a group of artist to their camp. I also support Free Arts for Abused Children and the American Diabetes Assoc. I was a tutor artist for the Diabetes Charity Art Auction, painting with Bob Khan, Fire Chief and Linda Cobb, the Queen of Clean. I was honored to be their signature artist the last year they held the event. I am now involved with the American Diabetes Association fund raiser Rip's B.A. D. Ride, Bikers Against Diabetes. I also participate in the walks for a cure for Diabetes and Breast Cancer."