Written by Jim Magner
Originally printed in the October 2011 Hill Rag
Reproduced by kind permission of Capital Community News
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Artist Profile: Pam Rogers
There are currents that run through the work of Pam Pagers. They began when humans became aware of beauty in the common bits of their tiny universes. They are both simple and complex: the currents of connection.
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Her drawings, paintings and sculptures are also both simple and complex. They evolve from the simplicity of the idea and complexity of the processes needed to reach those bonds that bring us together. She connects with artists through the ages by making her pigments from the minerals and plants that make a place special. If she is in Puget Sound, she might make them out of native plants and algae. In Colorado, she might grind up local minerals, clays and prairie grass.
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She then lets each work take her where it wants to go. The only preconceived notion is that she likes open space. Not “negative space,” it becomes positive—every square inch of the paper is of equal importance. Like plants in nature, her forms couldn’t thrive without the open air. They become a floral language, natural, even biological, but only loosely organic, waiting for your interpretation. That’s how she pulls you in.
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She takes a similar approach with sculpture. She gathers earth materials and wraps them up with natural binding. This has little to do with making an environmental statement—it is not consciously a “green” sculpture. It is about how humans connect with the planet.
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Pam grew up in Colorado, and has lived in Boston and Atlanta before coming to Washington. Her first degree was in Art History, and while she liked teaching and writing about the accomplishments of others, she really wanted to create. She earned an MFA at the Savanna College of Art and Design.
She says that much of what she has gone through in living and learning is “constrictive.” But, like the bound fragments of nature in her sculpture, there is still room to grow and the power to break free.
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Editor’s note: Pam Rogers recently exhibited at Studio H in a body of work entitled Autumnal Equinox. Pam Rogers’ website is www.pamrogersart.com
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A Capitol Hill artist and writer, Jim can be reached at ArtandtheCity05@aol.com
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