Artist Statement
My work explores what it means to feel in the body without judgment and to notice all the subtle changes that arise. We live so much in our minds thinking about the past or future, unaware of the toll this takes on our bodies. Through my art, I am teaching myself how to acknowledge my emotions by reconnecting back into my body.
Every piece starts with a sensation or thought that comes up. Through the course of the drawing, I observe what is arising and feel where it is manifesting in the body. Each line conveys the movement, morphing and sometimes release of these bodily sensations. The composition evolves and adapts as it mirrors what is happening in my internal state.
An important part of my process is to refrain from rationalizing or creating a narrative around my experience. Instead I choose to give it space so it may unfold on its own. Black ink, with its raw simplicity, provides me with a medium for honest expression. Each mark is a transference of a specific moment and every smudge, bleed, or crooked line is intentional, whether it's coming from my conscious or unconscious mind. I am forced to wait patiently, and at times uncomfortably, as the piece reveals itself. It reminds me that the process, not the outcome, is the artwork. It is a practice of giving up my sense of control and allowing the process to lead me.
Artist Biography
Pam is a San Francisco based artist whose work explores the thoughts and emotions that manifest in the body as we grapple with impermanence, uncertainty, and acceptance. She was inspired to create this body of work as she was sitting with the many emotions that arose from the COVID pandemic. Her intricate, abstract technique emerged when she started to listen to her internal state to help guide her drawings.
Her love of art formed at a young age and continued while attending New York University’s Studio Art program where she experimented with painting, photography, and digital art. After graduating, she put a pause on her art to pursue a career designing products and services for others, focused on health. It was after breaking her 10-year hiatus of making art that she remembered how healing art can be on one’s own health.
Since showing at the de Young Open in 2020, she has invested more time in exploring and making personal and commissioned art. She also hosts workshops to teach others how to use art to process their own emotions.
Juried Exhibitions
The de Young Open de Young Museum, San Francisco CA, Nov ‘20
Group Exhibitions
SF Open Studios, SOMArts Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA, Oct ‘22
Renewal, Belvedere Tiburon Library Foundation, Tiburon CA, Sep ‘22
Pancakes and Booze Pop-Up, San Francisco CA, Jul ‘22
Education
MFA ‘14, Interaction Design, SVA, NY
BFA ‘08, Studio Arts, NYU, NY