After gathering some rocks during my evening walks, I began the aesthetic process by spray painting base layers of green, gold, and black. At the time, it had been raining regularly, so I decided to leave the rocks outside as an experiment; as suspected, the drops of water formed interesting patterns in the wet paint.…
Do you remember the last time you really, truly made eye contact with another person? We often consider looking someone in the eye to be normal and polite, but usually it doesn’t last long before we glance away. Staring into someone’s eyes is surprisingly intimate—there’s a reason we call the eyes “the window to the…
“Identify someone different from you; then the two of you go serve someone else. The best way to have reconciliation is through service. Not through racial seminars,” said Dr. Tony Evans, a famous black pastor, in a radio interview after the unjust and brutal killing of George Floyd. Dr. Evans’ quote stood out to me,…
Military families tie yellow ribbons around trees, representing empathy and support, to say to our veterans, “Welcome back home.” The yellow ribbon also symbolizes suicide prevention. Expanding these traditions, Yellow Ribbon consists of three wooden trees designed by the artist, in partnership with Kent County Veteran Services, and includes the hands-on involvement of the veteran…
While preparing for ArtPrize 2020, Pamela has been leading various art workshops with Kent County Veterans Services. At the workshops, veterans and their families have sponge-painted special metallic paper, which Pamela will use to fashion the ArtPrize work. A special collection of eight mosaic-paintings created by veterans will be selected and incorporated into the overall…
During the recent pandemic, when our government gave a “Shelter in Place” order, many of us have faced a new struggle of being alone behind closed doors. For the first time, I heard some of my friends say, “I’m lonely.” To counteract this situation of prolonged isolation, I have been looking for new ways to…
While learning to adapt in times of uncertainty, some things never change—like our basic need to connect with others and our desire for beauty. So, in the middle of a pandemic, I’m searching for new ways to create art and spread hope. For a new project called Light Up Hope, I purchased one hundred and…