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PAM MERSCH
The first pictures I
remember drawing and framing, were of horses. A very typical
love of an 8 year old girl... The one that particulary sticks out is
the one I gave to my father for Christmas. It was a pencil drawing
of the south end of north bound work horses. My dad wasn’t quite
sure what I was telling him.... I didn’t quite know what to say
when he asked me...I was much too young and innocent... Aaahhh to be
like that again...
I graduated with a degree
in art from U.A.A., Anchorage, but I became a closet artist after I
met my wonderful husband and we started up our own business here on
the peninsula and had (and still have!) 2 wonderful boys! (Now
wonderful young men!) But once the boys were in elementary school, I
started taking art classes at KPC with Celia Anderson, who got me
hooked on watercolor, (which I’m not sure if I should thank her or
not..) Thru her great encouragement in regards to my art and other
arty endeavors like getting involved with the local art guild in
Kenai... And, “Pam, you really need to take a few workshops
outside” I did both. Got involved with the Kenai Art Guild, became
members in different watercolor societies and attending workshops.
Barbara Nechis was the first workshop outside that I went to... I
dragged my mom along, also an artist. We had a great, if not
exhausting time! SOOO much information!!! We attended another
Barbara Nechis workshop that Rube Tikka and I arranged, at KPC.. Mom
and I attended a workshop of Zoltan Zsabo’s. Which I learned many
wonderful new things! Getting soo much from these workshops, Rube
Tikka and I wanted to get another artist up here and arranged for
Judi Betts to teach a workshop at the Kenai Art Guild. Last June, my
mother and I went to Lucca, in the Tuscany region of Italy for
a 10 day workshop with Judi Betts. Picture this, a 15th century,
farmhouse on a hillside, overlooking a valley with either vineyards
or olive trees.... Wonderful, gourmet, Italian food and of course,
wonderful wines!!! My first time with Plein Aire painting... which
was the most exhilarating expericence for me! AND the most
productive workshop I had ever attended! How could it not be?! The
best elements were there!!!
Major ambience, wonderful
weather, being outside to paint (!), wonderful, different
scenery... being IN ITALY!!!! All conducive to creativity...
As you can see here at
this show, there are different mediums with which I like to work.
I’d have to say that I have a love /hate relationship with
watercolor, so when I feel overwhelmed and like I’m not making any
progress, I’ll take a break and work with the pastels.... Where I
can feel more successful....
The smoke paintings are
a very wonderful, creative medium... And actually I think probably
the most creative, as the smoke creates shapes and depths for
me where I get involved INTO, that I
can “crawl” into and
discover something whether it be a face, heads, or trees and then
enhance that something... What really is the most exciting
thing of these smoke paintings is that, you, the viewer
may not see what I see, but something totally different and
get involved into those same depths, definitely on a different plane
than me because it is your personal journey into those depths.
The painting of “Birch Trees” Was one of 112 works
accepted in the 29th year, All Alaskan Juried Art Exhibition at the
Anchorage Art Museum and was also on a year long tour in Alaska..
“The Gathering” and the “Old Man in the Oak Tree” are 2 of
the 4 that received a Best in Show award from a juried show held at
the Kenai Fine Art Center.
I have memberships in the
Alaska Watercolor Society, Kachemak Bay Watercolor Society, Fairbanks
Watercolor Society and the Northwest Watercolor Society. IF you would like to see Pam's artwork please click here
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