Is there an artistic trigger or a spark that is within every individual? Will you be able to distinguish that voice within you that is urging you to follow an artistic path? These are questions that vex many an individual as he or she attempts to follow the path that is more often than not-hidden from them. This Examiner.com columnist recently spoke to artist, singer and actress, Pamela Nielsen about her career as a celebrated artist and the decisions she took that enabled her to arrive to her success.
Pamela begins with the spark that led her to begin painting. Nielsen comments, “back in 2003, I had produced a CD and written some music. The album was called, i am Free and I had gone through some hard times in my childhood. The album was a healing process for me and about the God that I have come to know and his healing power in my life.” Pamela continues, “I came home to listen to the soundtrack and the mixes. I just felt inspired to start painting. It was kind of crazy, but this thought said to just start painting! I transformed a room in my basement into my studio. I met an artist and I knew I wanted to paint in acrylics, so he took me to a paint store. We bought a canvas and he showed me what he did, so we experimented so I could get my feet wet with paint.”
It was a journey of deciding to pursue her artistic expression on a decidedly unusual foundation. Pamela explains, “I began to find different substrates like metal, plexiglass and sometimes, wood. I just started painting on those substrates.” The decision to use these types of surface material was not the only intriguing decision Pamela would make. Nielsen comments, “When I went through my healing process, I was introduced to the Chakras and the colors of them. They correlate to the rainbow colors. They start with the red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, torquoise and then violet. I just started painting pure colors out of my tube and was amazed at the stuff that was coming out!”
Pamela does not conform to the classic public image of the artist as a moody loner as several instances in the interview, she bubbles with enthusiasm and conviction about her work. She explains her process and the inspiration that guides her, “I have a voice that speaks to me and it comes from my right ear. It gives me direction and even sometimes on how to hold my hand as I am painting on the metal and how to do it. I just went with my gut!” Nielsen continues, “how my paints go on metal and plexiglass-I love the slide and glide of it on those surfaces. Those surfaces really sing to me. My art is color, movement and energy and so it flows on those surfaces much better than canvas with the technique that I use. It really was an inspiration and I really listened to the guidance I was given and I just followed it.”
It is an emotional and a wonderfully invigorating experience to view Pamela’s fantastically large scale artwork. Although her colors are wildly vivid, there is an organic presence to her work. It is akin to being embraced by an intangible and benevolent spirit. Nielsen responds to this notion, “I hope they are stirred by the emotions and the energy that my pieces exude. I think that vibrant color can be soothing and maybe it is because of the energy I use when I am painting. It has a very crisp, clear energy to me. I don’t ever mix my paints and colors together except how they blend on their own. I use them straight out of the tubes!”
Many of Pamela Nielsen’s pieces can be seen by the public in such locations as the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco, California and the Mira Hotel in Hong Kong. Most artists would be satisfied with having their work in such public spaces as hotels, but Nielsen continues to nurture her dreams and she details one such dream, “my dream is to have an architect come to me and say we are going to build a building and we are going to build it around you work! These are certain pieces that we want and we want you to do them in all different substrates.” Pamela continues with animated excitement, “we want this imprinted in your metal substrate, we want this in your metallic paper behind plexi! We want to build a roof angled to reflect one of your images. We want to do a curved piece of plexiglass with your painting on it that comes off of this wall! This is my biggest dream and I would love that!”
Talented and ambitious-Pamela continues to listen to her spiritual guides as she creates stunning tapestries of color, emotion and energy. Her work is truly an incredible example of perhaps an artist capturing another plane of existence. This columnist is convinced of that and Nielsen has the last word on the subject, “I looked at all my artwork and said thank you, thank you so much for all that you have done for me. I literally could see them as if they were standing and clapping and hearing them say-no, thank you for taking us where we needed to be!”