Artist in Residence – Lori Pensini
For two incredible weeks, Santa Maria College welcomed acclaimed artist Lori Pensini as our 2025 Artist in Residence as part of our Visual Arts program. Her depictions of the Australian landscape and deep storytelling resonated powerfully with our Visual Art students, inspiring them to explore creativity in new ways.
From the moment she arrived, Lori fostered a learning environment that embraced curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity – key attributes we nurture at Santa Maria to connect learning to life. She shared her artistic journey, encouraged students to take risks, and empowered them to believe in their own creative voice.
Lesley Nation, Head of Visual Arts, highlighted the program’s impact: “Our Artist in Residence program is more than just an opportunity to learn technical skills. It’s about engaging with real-world artists, developing confidence, and understanding that creativity is an essential skill beyond the art room.”
Learning Through Creativity
Lori’s workshops were tailored to different year levels, each designed to encourage confidence, adaptability, and collaboration:
Year 8 Draw & Paint – Students developed resilience and observational skills by working on large-scale bird studies using pencil and charcoal.
Year 10 Art – Explored critical thinking and creativity. Students experimented with portraiture, learning to set up a palette and use a palette knife to take expressive risks with colour.
Year 11 ATAR Art – This group focused on storytelling through portrait painting, bringing emotional intelligence and analytical skills into their work.
Years 11 & 12 General and ATAR Art – Through one-on-one discussions, Lori supported students in refining their personal artistic styles and problem-solving challenges in their creative processes.
Lori demonstrated her own process and approach to art, reinforcing that problem-solving and curiosity are essential not only in creative work but in everyday life.
"I really enjoyed having Lori teach us how to mix all the perfect colours for our oil painting and how much quicker we can do a painting when we block in sections first."
Talking to Lori Pensini
Do you remember your very first artwork? What was it?
I was on Wyloo Station as a 19-year-old when my aunt sent me 1000 pounds worth of canvas and paint. I felt guilty that I wasn’t using such beautiful materials, and eventually, around the age of 20 or 21, I started painting. My first painting was of a spinifex pigeon, which I later sent to my aunt in London. It really wasn’t that good but my aunt hangs it with pride of place next to incredible works by Arthur Boyd, John Olsen, and even Brett Whiteley.
If you could sit down with just one artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I wouldn’t actually choose an artist – I’d love to connect with my ancestors. I want to retell my story through their eyes and gain a deeper perspective on what shaped them.
My work is deeply influenced by the biophysical nature of the land, and connecting with the bush, the landscape, and the generations of knowledge passed down would extend my creative voice in ways I can’t even imagine.
What advice do you have for our students wanting to pursue a career in art?
Never give up, and trust your small voice. Gaining experience as an artist takes practice, patience, and time, and sometimes, you just have to do the work you want to do without overthinking it.
Always remember why you started. Go back to that feeling of enjoying the process. Stay true to yourself and maintain your integrity – create for yourself, not just to please others.
- ArtistInResidence, ExploringCreativity, Featured, LoriPensini, StudentArtists, VisualArts
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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