Bio
Pamela Gibson maintains painting and weaving studios in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Portland, Oregon. She received her BFA in Craft at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Her tapestries are found in public and private collections, including the Oregon Health and Science University Center for Women's Health.
Her paintings, tapestries and mixed-media work have been shown in juried group shows regionally and nationally, and she has been selected for competitive public art commissions. She has received awards and honors, including the Juror's Choice Award for Muse of the Millennium in Seattle, Washington. Her first solo show will be held at The Dairy in Boulder, Colorado in August, 2010.
Pamela is also an arts advocate in her communities. She is past board chair of Oregon College of Art and Craft, past trustee of the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and a seasoned fundraiser for the arts.
Artist's Statement
The work at first glance is about rich color and texture. In truth, though, the color and texture are merely seductions, an attempt to force me as an artist, as well as my viewer, to bear witness to what is actually afoot in the world. Whether I am looking for the decay in the shadows of a luscious hosta, or seeking out the terrible beauty in the aftermath of disaster or despair, it is witnessing and commenting on the realities of our lives that validates my choice to make art. I am taking a stab at truth.
I work in paint, encaustic, tapestry and mixed media. The commonality for me is the physicality of the process. No matter what media I am working in, the process is complex, labor intensive, layered and physical. The seminal image acts as a cue, but then I allow the paint, the wax or the wool to translate and interpret, to extrapolate and transform. The finished works read as mostly abstract compositions.
My approach to my work is both formal and conceptual. I find I cannot divorce the non-verbal idea from shape, color, line, pattern and texture. It is the interplay between form and idea that is transformative. The art object is the visual residue of the creative process, but even so, it is valid in and of itself, as documentation. It is my hope that the alchemy born of process is revealed in the finished work.
All photos except where noted are by Bill Bachhuber.
All images are copyrighted by Pamela Gibson.
Pamela thanks her husband, Scott and her sons, Chris and Riley, for all of their help, encouragement and support.