The Art of Pamela Gaard

Born in Minneapolis, MN, in 1955, Pamela Gaard writes:

"I examine the anxieties and exigencies of everyday life. My work invites a sustained gaze, like an icon or altar piece – and, conversely, can be read quickly, like a road sign. The portraits are made from life in 2 hour sittings. They are intended, in the words of Arthur Danto, as ‘emblems through which we confer honor by preserving the likenesses of those portrayed . . . which can be channels for adoration.’ My small paintings are influenced by an alchemy of memories, fantasies, superstitions, obsessions, beliefs, and fears. The pleasure for me in making art is partly pure invention, and partly a way to remember and re-remember events from the past.”

"The color tips you off this is an artist who searches for the mystical through whatever passes by, and the respect for otherness makes her portraits seem alive." Manny Bag Artpolice News Services

Portrait of Avrom, 2008, Mixed media on canvas, 20” x 16” (top)
Portrait of Catherine, 2009, Acrylic on paper, 30” x 23” (left)
Portrait of Lu, 2008, Acrylic on paper, 30” x 23” (right)

Visit Pamela's web site.