Pam’s work is a visual interpretation of the relationship of mass and energy. The challenge is endless and futile, considering human limitations versus nature. It is a journey of exploring and discovering that keeps her addicted to her work. The work is monumental in size with some small work that feels just as massive. The surfaces are just as diverse; thick crusted areas leading to smooth, thin, flowing paint. This show is a presentation of competent, aggressive paintings with a unique approach somewhat dealing with the elements in metamorphic shapes…

“We function in the threshold between atoms and stars. To understand anything we bring our distant observations and informations to the surface (down to earth) where distance is minimized, scale is adjusted, and projections are anchored in a cutaneous world. Whether by projection or abstraction, our understanding is always on the surface. Though undeniably ’superficial’ this is also a great achievement.”

Joel Fisher

A MATTER OF QUESTION
The human mind is a tireless organ with an unquenchable thirst for producing and connecting thought forms. This function is not one of choosing but of an automatic process. We do have a choice, however, in how we translate and incorporate this information into the fabric of our existence. The incorporating and translating is accomplished by questioning, digesting, and placing the new input in relation to what we already know. This human capacity for symbolic thought distinguishes humankind from other living forms.

In this questioning process it is not the answer that is important, many times there is no answer, but the thought provoking process that evolves. The stimulus for this process can be as simple as a phrase….a word….a feeling….a sound….a memory….a sensing….a thought…a sight….a touch. Questioning in this way is part of a natural process of living and an essential part of creating.

What is the creative process?
The creative process is the most elusive, complex, and mysterious of all human processes. It is composed of integrating energies coexisting to produce a very complex and cumulative phenomenon of MASS – - – TIME – - – ENERGY. The process is continuous, evolving and unending. It is intuitive, logical, and, combined with passion and skill creates its own energy to manifest itself.

Why did you choose to write about the creative process?
… for a better understanding of myself and what I do. We are part of an existence in which all parts function both dependently and independently giving significance to the whole. It is important for me to know how I contribute to this whole. I still do not know why I am impelled to create. The research itself has been fascinating and challenging, but the process is as much of a mystery now as when I began. I am just more aware of its complexity and more respectful of its unknown.

Why is your work labeled abstract?
All art is abstract… but not just abstracted forms. Forms from all sources (material, emotional, mental, etc.) must be freed from their common uses to be clarified and put to new uses: to act as symbols, to become expressive of our feeling. “Forms need to be released from their embodiment in real things so that they may be recognized in their own right; freely conceived and composed (and given) significance, (and personal) expression.” I need to get inside a natural form to capture it’s spirit. The actual “thingness” is not important to me except as a catalyst. I need to find out how it functions…why it exists…what significance it has for me……its relationship to the whole. The reality is in the spirit of the work, in its honesty and believability, not in the recognition of an image. An image must touch deep within one’s self, before it can surface with significance.

What do you want from your work?
I am looking for ways to create images that are evocative, exude energy, and penetrate my soul. I want the image to feel alive and believable and to continue to haunt the viewer after the image is gone.

Is this possible?
Yes, I have been there, occasionally in my own work, and witnessed it in the work of other artists: Louise Bourgeois, Mary Frank, Ana Mendieta, Richard Avedon, Ilya Kabakov, Allan McCollum, Eva Hesse, and Christian Boltanski. It is inspiring and motivating to see the works of these artists and to feel the potential for this power in my own work.

What gives certain images this staying power?
Art stimulates our sensibilities. Certain forms have integrative powers which allow our unconscious to incorporate them with images from our past. We are not necessarily aware of these connections because many of these mental images have never been a part of conscious thinking. Information can enter the mind directly bypassing the conscious. The mind integrates the forms we see with memories from our past which provokes thought. This integration is made known to us many times in our dreams.

Are dreams important in your work?
Yes. Painting and dreams are created out of a basic human need to organize thoughts—a need to make order. The mind, like all other organs of the body, functions constantly making ‘mental forms’. While we sleep, our intuition is free to examine, draw conclusions, and anticipate possible results, that would not necessarily happen in our awake state. Intuition creates it’s own logic—it’s own sense of order. Some of my best ideas come from ’sleeping on it’. Intuition alone is not enough however. Only combined with logical thinking can the intuitive function successfully in the creative process. While working we “let go”, then step back and observe logically, then “let go” again stepping in and out of control.