Pamela James
Atelier Dojo 2020

Artspace Member Spotlight Exhibition

March 24 - April 22, 2023
Elisabeth Flynn-Chapman Gallery

Oil Paintings on panel

Contemporary Realist artist trained in ateliers adhere to strict requirements with the most notable being to paint from life. The portrait studies in this show blur that line out of necessity and eventually out of searching for human connection and experiences. Now, reflecting on each painting individually, it is a reminder of when life turned on a dime and the unexpected became a new normal.

In April of 2020, a small atelier in Austin, Texas, Atelier Dojo, sent an email notifying that it would be hosting Zoom classes with live models three days a week for three- hour streams. In the beginning the challenge was, painting a three-hour portrait from a small computer screen, alla prima painting, and only having three hours to finish. Slowly, that challenge morphed into something different as people signed into paint, share their sorrows, challenges, and blessings.

These painting now cover a wall in my studio from floor to ceiling reminding me that what started as a small painting group turned into a teaching moment about the fragile existence we share with people from all over the world.

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