What does it look like when one’s wholeness is ripped apart? For Pamela Nelson, an artist who exemplifies the holistic, integrated life, her husband’s long term illness and death cut deeply into that seamless fabric. Finding herself at loose ends six months after Bill’s death, but ever intentional about her work, Pamela entered a recent residency at the Fairmont Hotel knowing it was a gift to explore whatever came up and to give it form. She wrote, “Collage is dazed and confused … going in several directions in the studio. Will have to see what catches fire.”
A master of color and pattern, Pamela’s creativity has always been inexhaustible, and her disciplined studio practice fosters productivity far beyond most artists. It therefore wasn’t surprising that art-making gave her a channel for healing, much in the way that practiced religious ritual comes to our aid in hard times. Laity Lodge is grateful that Pamela has allowed us to accompany her in her ongoing journey of grief interrupted by joy.