This is not really not my natural hair color; it's a Photoshop Hue..;-)

Penny claims her father as her first musical influence. He played saxophone in dixieland and swing bands, including Tommy Tucker, the Dorsey Brothers, Red Nichols, so she grew up listening to swing era music.

She studied classical piano from age 5 through college, where she was a performance major, with a secondary major in film. She says Stravinsky is her favorite composer of last century, and Beethoven is her early childhood hero. Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins "made me want to sing, not to mention, fly away on an umbrella.and . . ." Later influences included Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Kate Bush, Harry Partch, Balinese Monkey Chants, Blondie, Ozzie Osbourne. Penny's first paid gigs were solo piano performances, which included some originals, some improvisation, and some classical pieces.

In and out of school, Penny dabbled in animation, creating musical animated stories including "Lullaby for the Orphans", "A Surrealist Looks at Creation" and several short pieces, and an animated television commercial for a bank.

The desire to use words and music together, came together when Penny bought a "beach guitar" at a garage sale, for $5 which had five strings (Only a dollar per string). "At first, I thought guitars came with only five strings and I tuned the guitar to suit the song." Several years later, on her way back from touring Japan, she met up with guitarist Ben Hurley, in Hawaii, where they recorded the album "In a Light Garden" released on Global Pacific/CBS. They made their way to England, where their band "White Feather" was eventually signed to Warner/Chappell, adding Tony Bodene on drums.

Penny left what she calls "just another industry eats artist story" It was upon her return to America, that she met Nik Green, and together they formed the electronic pop duo "The Away Team".

The Little Savage® character was born in 1990 when someone told Penny, "You're a Little Savage!" The Little Savage® was at first a private journal, where Penny "could be completely honest about life and stuff", and now has taken over her room, hard drives, diaries, on and off line.... ."There are approximately 1,000 cartoons which are attempting to organize themselves into nine books. That's another story. More later. I just want to upload this to see what happens."

In an attempt to understand politics, Little Savage® has made several Presidential bids none of which have been successful. Meanwhile, politics and political documentaries competed for her attention. Penny took up a video camera to tell the stories she perceived were not being told by the mainstream corporate media, after the Presidential selection of 2000. In 2003, Penny became Coordinating Director of People to People TV. She has also produced rap, thrash metal, punk, country with teens as part of Gang Prevention through the Arts in southern California, and worked with the Artist in the Schools Program in Ventura County.

The Little Savage® is returning from her sabbatical, in the form of storyboards for her adventures. What format and how this will emerge is still forming in the Savage Mind of her Creator.