Mara Penny

Mara Penny is a designer and illustrator who grew up in Lake Tahoe. Mara’s love of art began when she was young. “I was a creative kid, that square peg in the round hole,” she says. Days with her grandmother, an artist and astrologer, further fueled her artistic leanings. “I spent all my time with her—she was my person,” says Mara.

She studied both jewelry design and interior design in college, and now runs her own successful website. Her artwork starts with pen on paper and making her own watercolor washes, and then she assembles each one digitally.

Mara is represented by Lilla Rogers Studio. Her clients and collaborators include Moda, American Greetings, and The Boston Globe. Mara lives with her husband and two children in Oakland, CA. marapenny.com