Project 2020

I explored a variety of materials in my studio to use in Aziza's book. I ended up using translucent vellum paper, india ink, white embossed paper, and a woodcut that I created years earlier. I cut out some of my images and pasted them to the page to create a collage. I really liked the back paper that Aziza chose for her book. Everything looks great against black.

  This piece honors my name and depicts both me and my mother as young adults and mature women. When I was a child, I didn't like my name much.  I only knew 2 other Pamela's in school, and people tended to call me 'Patricia' rather than Pamela (this still happens today)---I'm not certain why because they don't sound alike. One day in frustration I complained to my mom that I didn't like my name.  She looked sad and said, "I named you after me.  I didn't want to name you 'Patricia' because then people would get us confused." My mom has always been my guiding light, the person I wanted to grow up to be.  I greatly admired her and from that day forward took pride in my name. Our middle names are "Anne" meaning 'favor' or 'grace' and this I knew was in honor of my great-great-great-grandmother, Anne Nichols.  In our family names are a source of pride and a way of honoring past ancestors.  Middle names are typically...

                                             almost done  I was so excited to start Fran's book. Everybody ahead of me really put a lot of energy into their work, and I wanted to do the same. Her book is so rich in detail, texture, and color. She told us to have fun with it, so I did. My goal was to create a textured landscape using cardboard, burlap, handmade, painted and printed papers for the ground. I focused on the poem by Amanda Gorman read at the 2021 inauguration "A Hill to Climb." Next, I will write an excerpt from the poem, "Somehow we've weathered and witnessed" which to me relates to Black peoples ongoing struggle in this country for our humanity in the midst of constant assault. I decided to use layers of acrylic paint for the sky, starting with a deep blue of night to the warm oranges and yellows of sunrise.            ...

I love the black paper Aziza provided for us!  Like Julee's book it prompted me to create a completely black and white piece.  Our project has focused on reflection---on ourselves, the current times, and the future.  This made me think about creating a piece that is a mirror-like reflection. The black paper got me thinking in photographic terms--positive and negative images. In reflecting on myself and the need to be even more resilient due to the personal and global events I experienced in 2020, I used the self-portrait I made for Julee's book and printed it with white ink on the black background and black ink on a white background. To illustrate the concept of resiliency in current and future times I used the thistle as a metaphor. Similar to the dandelion, the thistle, the national flower of Scotland, is a tough, medicinal, and beautiful weed, but with very wicked thorns (don't mess with me)!  This image I also printed in white ink on black paper and black ink on ...

The Process When I began working on Francine's book, I had a different idea in my head, but once I actually had the book in my hands I decided to let the materials I had guide me.  I really want my participation in this project to push me into using mediums I don't usually use.  I don't want each page I create to be a 'signature' Pam piece. I have a lot of stuff from teaching and from print work.  I knew I wanted to use the happy little girl template Francine provided.  I have a lot of small leather samples and used one of those to create the body for the girl.  I then used material samples and some 'hair-like' blue yarn I had.  As I began to think about the story my pages would tell --given 2020 was dubbed the "year of the woman" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 21st Amendment, giving (most) women the right to vote and the historic election of our first woman/ BIPOC Vice President--I decided to focus on positive messages for women an...

I decided to make a monoprint of a crocodile for Gail's book, with an emphasis on the eye. I learned that the crocodile has a highly evolved eye, that can see in both water and in the dark.