***Navigators through the Darkness - Permanent Collection of Jeannette Sziler, Hinsdale, IL***

Pam was born in Pennsylvania, but grew up in Michigan from age 2 – 18, and returned in 2004 after living 15 years in Texas, 8 years in New Mexico, and 4 years in Oklahoma. “Lake Michigan has always been a special place of solace and restoration for me and it pulled me back to this area. I’m a serious swimmer, and the lake just feeds my soul and is so much a part of me.” Her fluid style comes from her love of the water.

Many personal healing experiences with native cultures living in Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma have led to the development of her signature artistic theme: healing of the mind and body through art. Kirkham combines layers of abstraction and realism, compositionally weaving the viewer’s eye back and forth across diagonal grid patterns, and cleverly sweeps the viewer upward toward the light in the abstract backgrounds of the Fight or Flight series. Realistically painted flying creatures also take you up to the light, and then out of the boundaries of the canvas to your inner world.

***Las Lunas – Permanent Collection of Beverly Bock, Three Oaks, MI***

***Flame Dragonfly – Permanent Collection of Garrett Rose, Brighton, MA***

The Fight or Flight series was born out of a desire to help a close friend ease his pain as he struggled with pancreatic cancer and is based on the idea that when facing a difficult time in your life, you have two choices. “You can either fight against your life struggles and be miserable, or you can choose to momentarily escape from your troubles as you meditate on my paintings and re-center yourself into a more positive frame of mind. Uplifting flying creatures, painted realistically on top of dynamic, free-flowing abstract backgrounds, take you to a place of fantasy where you can escape your life struggles. “I’ve always been inspired by nature, especially flying creatures, and have had many dreams of flying myself and enjoying the view of the earth and sea below me, as I feel nature heal me within.” Pam’s technique of transitioning bold colors from transparent to opaque and her deep understanding of art principles such as composition, texture, and light, bring you to a new emotional world of beauty and peace. “Especially if you’re facing a serious illness, I hope that the works will help you heal yourself from the inside out.”

Her most recent series, Water, Altitude, & Atmosphere takes you to places that you might want to be, as you take this inner journey. Images include waves, land and seascapes, majestic mountains, and serene places in nature.

Pamela Kirkham pictured with Lunar Spring

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve been creating art. My mother was very creative and took me to the Art Institute of Chicago every year or two when I was young. She also enrolled me in art classes as soon as I was old enough to hold a pencil, which exposed me to drawing, painting, and sculpture at a very early age. In high school, I took every art class that was offered and had 2 wonderful and inspiring teachers, Paul Kussy and Charles Murray, who were both excellent artists in their own right. They encouraged me to continue my love affair with art.”

***Lovebirds – Permanent Collection of Rockford & Alexandra Coscia, Scarsdale, NY***

After 2 years of music education as a coloratura soprano at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, she decided she was better off nurturing that talent on her own. The university focused her on singing Mozart arias and steered her away from popular music. “I knew I could never make a living as an opera singer, so I turned to my first love – making art, and attended Kendall College of Art & Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.” Pamela graduated as an illustrator and pursued that career in Texas. Along with illustration, she became skilled at graphic design and drafting, working contracts for many major oil companies in Houston, including Shell Western E & P Region, Exxon, Esso, Anadarko, and Mitchell Energy and Development Company, to name a few. She was an art director for a printing company in Austin, then a civil drafter, and spent the last five years in Austin as a technical illustrations manager for an environmental services company. “Working 60-hour weeks professionally and taking care of my domestic responsibilities really stressed me out. My husband wanted to move to New Mexico, so I agreed to quit working in the corporate world and pursue my art while raising our son. I enjoyed spending more time with my family, gardening, canning, and painting murals. It was a pleasing turning point in my life!”

***Butterfly Euphoria – Permanent Collection of Matthew Taylor, Jamaica Plain, MA***

Buy Kirkham's Art

In 1992, she started her own business, Kirkham Fine Arts, which encompasses fine art sales and services, and musical performance. “Mural painting and public art became an obsession when I lived in New Mexico where I beat out hundreds of competitors to be chosen to paint 2 murals through the New Mexico Arts Division’s Art in Public Places Program. In Enid, Oklahoma, I executed a dozen murals throughout the city in churches, businesses, and homes. I’ve painted 24 murals in 4 states. Two of my designs for painting life-size, fiberglass bison were chosen by the Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma to be painted for the Oklahoma Sesquicentennial in OKC. The Bank of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City commissioned one, and the Harris Foundation of Enid funded the other. Both are featured in the book, "The Spirit of the Buffalo" by Linda Miller Bosteels, available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. My sketches adorn the inside front and back covers. The business has expanded into selling hand pressed ceramic tiles of my art through etsy.com and selling fine apparel printed with my art through LeGaleriste, a company in Montreal, Canada.”

In March of 2022, Kirkham produced, directed, and filmed a multimedia event funded, in part, by a $6000 matching grant awarded by The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. The production features original art by Kirkham, original choreography, and original music. The colorful, dynamic, nature-based imagery of Pam’s paintings as a back drop is combined with an exquisite live dance performance by Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers, moving to the tantalizing sounds of music composed, mixed, and recorded by Silver Rain.

***Immersive Dance, Art & Music Fusion (Carolyn Pampalone Rabbers - dancer in front of Flight to Fantasy detail)***

Immersive Van Gogh in Chicago made a huge impression on her and she began thinking of ways she could do something similar with her art. Kirkham says, “I didn’t have 32 projectors or the technology to pull off something totally immersive, but I did have a large body of work and wanted to do a similar event on a smaller scale with a live dancer. I wanted to employ composers and dancers because jobs are hard to find in the creative community and fair pay is sometimes elusive. My dreams were realized when I received a KADI grant through The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.” The initial version was filmed with no audience due to Covid, but in April of 2023, The Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Michigan presented this event, Immersive Dance, Art & Music Fusion to a live audience for the first time.

In addition to the multimedia portion of the event, segments of Pam’s bluesy vocals alongside guitarist, Mitch Gregory; and segments of energetic dance numbers by Carolyn and two of her CPR Dance: Inhale Movement dancers, Dennis Davis & Abby Marchesseault, were interspersed throughout the event. Look for future performances of this event in the near future! Pam performs throughout Michiana as Blue Aura with various local musicians.

Other accomplishments include participating as an ArtPrize artist in both 2014 and 2015 in Grand Rapids, Michigan; chosen for the Oklahoma Arts Division's Artist-in-Residence program, where she traveled the state teaching art; awarded Best of Show and Best in Natural Science Illustration in the Southwest Biological Photographer's Association Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Best of Show in the Whirlpool Art Exhibition in St. Joseph, Michigan and other numerous awards. Pamela’s work can be found in many private art collections world-wide.

***Take Me Home – Permanent Collection of Jacqueline & Lee Wyant, Littleton, CO***

Studio Visits by appointment only and commissions are welcomed! Email: pkirkham@comcast.net

Check out the following sites to acquire Pam’s artwork:

Original works can be acquired directly through her website: pamkirkham.com (https://www.pamkirkham.com/shop)

Acquire fine apparel featuring her work at: legaleriste.com (https://www.legaleriste.com/en/pamela.kirkham)

Acquire ceramic tiles made by the artist at: etsy.com search FlyingCreatureTiles (https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlyingCreatureTiles?ref=shop_sugg_market)

Her work on small prints to shower curtains and many other products at FineArtAmerica.com (https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/pamela-kirkham)

Check out her facebook pages:

Art - https://www.facebook.com/kirkhamfinearts

Music - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063767283276

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kirkhamfinearts/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-kirkham-254b1018/

September Artist Pamela Kirkham