Pamela Compton paints what she feels in addition to what she sees, resulting in large, bold artwork that is filled with passion, often flowing off the canvas. Through a whole body approach, Compton creates a paradox between expressionism and realism. Her work reveals the nuances of emotional experience, while simultaneously capturing physical reality. Compton distorts her surrounding world for visual pleasure, striving to represent the subject matter truthfully through a subjective perspective. Inspired by the vivid palettes and music of New Orleans along with the natural landscape of the Northwest, Compton's paintings are informed by her surroundings conveying the deep heritage, history, and beauty of life, while eliciting genuine emotional reflection.
Compton has always enjoyed a creative life. Her one-of-a-kind batik wear, an art form she learned while traveling through Indonesia in 1994, was sold in San Francisco. Building it from scratch, Pamela opened The Grateful Bread Bakery in Bisbee, Arizona, offering visionary breads and pastries. A few years later, she moved to New York City and sold hand-painted t-shirts and ties at the MET. When visiting a friend in Italy, she fell in love with the artistic expression of painting. Upon her return to the USA in 2008, she elected to spend more time observing the wonders of New Orleans through acrylics and more recently the beauty of the Northwest.
Compton started to paint commissions in 2009 and in 2011, began showing her work throughout Colorado. In May 2016, her paintings were presented at the Five Points Jazz Festival in Denver. She has participated in numerous solo and group shows with 73 Art Agency, including an exhibition for her TwentySixteen collection in October 2016. In 2017, Compton’s artwork was included in The Greatest Art Show Ever in Denver’s RiNo Art District. The Skybox Exhibition in January 2019 highlighted her work with 33 paintings. In May 2018, La Cour Art Bistro and Cabaret in Denver, exhibited a selection of her paintings. Two years later, Compton was back at La Cour with her 2020 Foresight collection. Compton was excited, once again to share part of the proceeds with the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association. Influenced by years of working alongside people with developmental disabilities and observing the joyful uninhibited way in which they experience life, Pamela seeks to express herself with a similar freedom and enthusiasm.