Representation

When teaching someone to draw, what you are really hoping to teach them is how to “see” better. The human brain, for all its amazing functions, gets in the way of seeing things as they really are as the brain wants to simplify images to store them for you. What you hope to help students learn is how to shut their brain off to preconceived notions and truly see what is before them – physically as well as emotionally. As an artist who has relied on drawing for all my living memory, this has become not just a state I am in when I draw, but a state that I view and live my life through. I use drawing as the basis for my exploration of the people around me. In looking for things as they really are, I look not only physically but observe for signs of what lies within each person. Whether I am teaching children, creating artwork, or having a conversation with a friend – it is all done through the drawing mentality. 

 

I explore many facets of human experience from individuals to groups, teens and adults, but as a mother of a large family, hundreds of children have been part of my everyday life for more than two decades. Keen observation of them through my “drawing” mentality has taught me about childhood creativity, joy, and sadness, but through their young childhood emotions. This knowledge manifests in my practice through painting of essential scenes in children's lives – their pretend play, their clothing choices, their conversations. Through the sharing of their world, which is often unnoticed, the imperative importance of what they are doing is evident. The everyday moments of face paint, shoes too large, and oversized fears becomes a place for the viewer to reconnect with their own childhood creative spaces. The magic of childhood is literally a deep well of divinity and inspiration that I feel privileged to drink from, and eager to share with others.  

 

My process of making the work has some essential components, and some that always shift. The ever-present ones are observation, paying attention to when I feel something, and drawing as the starting point. While most of my work is rooted in my language of drawing and line, beyond this, I don’t have a process that must be adhered to. Work never proceeds as a previous piece – there is always variation on method, application, surface, color, and mark making. My practice includes painting and drawing, sculpture, collage, teaching, and community collaboration. 

 

With permission of those I paint or draw, also I explore themes of loss, growth, and creative spaces in family life. The purpose of observation and creation is always to build greater bridges of empathy between people. The analysis is an attempt to not be fooled by my own prejudgment or external narratives, but to use pain and experiences as a doorway to greater understanding of myself and the people around me.

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About Pamela

Pamela studied at BYU Provo where she graduated in 2001 with a BFA, with an emphasis in painting.

 

She is currently attending the University of Utah as an MFA candidate and expected to graduate in May of 2025

 

With children a little older and their needs less time consuming, Pamela is painting again, and finding her own narrative a necessary part in the artistic landscape of America.

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