Penne Alton

Penne Alton (1921-2013)

Impressionist Painter

San Francisco/Sacramento, CA

Penne (Alice) Alton was an ardent Impressionist painter with a lifelong passion to produce fine art. Her body of work includes hundreds of oil paintings on canvas in the impressionist style. She had a complete understanding of the fundamentals of the school of impressionism. She was also able to expand her artistic insight with her unique life experiences. Her works show a mastery of the representation of the fleeting play of light on objects and landscapes. Ms. Alton was not shy in the bold use of bursting, prismatic colors that commands an attention to her works. This is especially evident in her floral paintings. The seemingly influences of Renoir and Degas totally enhances the enjoyment of her paintings of young children and adults in their everyday encounters. Although she signed most all of her works she rarely dated or named a painting leaving the work to “speak for itself.”

Penne Alton began her study of the fine arts in the New York City area. She later studied under William Schimmel, oil and water colorist in Arizona. She also studied at the Denver Art Institute, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the Jean Henry School of Art in San Francisco. Ms. Alton was a member of the San Francisco Impressionists League.

Ms. Alton was born in Larchmont, New York on May 25, 1921 and grew up in nearby Mamaroneck, Westchester, New York with her parents and a brother. Her maiden name was Alice E. Umhey. At the age of 22 she joined the United States Navy as a WAVE and served honorably until discharged in 1944. She married Hubert Julian Alton on May 21, 1947 at Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Her surname was changed to Alton. She often dropped her given name Alice and preferred her nickname of “Penne.” She signed her artwork as “Penne Alton.” She moved across the country residing in Texas, Arizona, Las Vegas, San Francisco and eventually retiring in Sacramento, California. Before retiring, she worked as social secretary to Lee Radziwill (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s sister) and worked 17 years as Executive Secretary for the Newton Cope family at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco. Penne Alton died in Sacramento on November 11, 2013 at the age of 92 years. She painted until the end of her life still wining awards with a first place in a local competition in 2012.



Penne Alton’s works have been exhibited in numerous northern California art galleries and her paintings are in many private collections across the country. Ms. Alton’s paintings have been photographed and published in greeting cards.