PAM FOLSOM BIO

Cincinnati native Pam Folsom is nationally known for her vibrant, energetic oil paintings of familiar scenes, depicting everything from the rolling farmland of the Midwest to the beaches of Florida’s coast. Her award-winning works have appeared in numerous juried group, two-person, and solo exhibitions. Pam’s paintings appear in private collections internationally, as well as corporate collections.


Artist Statement

"I am drawn to paint on location whenever I can.  The colors and sensations around me are my inspiration, and as I place strokes of paint on my canvas, I am very aware of relationships—the interplay between thick and thin paint, between the elements of the composition, between colors and edges.  The resulting paintings are beyond reality, but believable so that viewers can enter a dialogue with them, and through them, with me.

These paintings are about slowing down, stopping to appreciate the moment, and finding the visual language to express what I need to say. Drinking in the day, life is intoxicating if you take the time to notice.  The most ordinary of subjects—old buildings or trees across a field—are intensely beautiful in their own way when you look with fresh eyes.

It is strictly out of selfishness that I paint; I enjoy it that much.  An hour passes, a day, however long it takes.  No rules, no guidelines, just creating visual communication with others that appreciate the dialogue." -- Pam Folsom

 

Education
2002, 1996 Vermont Studio School, Vermont
2000 Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1997-98 Cincinnati Art Academy, Cincinnati, OH
1971-76 University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning, Cincinnati, OH

Selected One Person Exhibitions
2014 “Passion: Color and Texture,” David Strawn Art Gallery, Jacksonville, IL
2011 “What Matters”, B. Deemer Gallery, Louisville, KY
“What Matters”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“New Work”, Gingerbread Square Gallery, Key West, FL
2010 “New Paintings by Pam Folsom”, Gingerbread Square Gallery, Key West, FL
2009 “Kentucky Landscape Paintings”, B. Deemer Gallery, Louisville, KY
Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2007 “Exhilaration”, B. Deemer Gallery, Louisville, KY
Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“New Paintings at Woodford Reserve”, Woodford Reserve, Lexington, KY (limited edition bottle signing event)
2006 “New Paintings at Woodford Reserve”, Woodford Reserve, Lexington, KY
2005 “Connections”, B. Deemer Gallery, Louisville, KY
Woodford Reserve, Lexington, KY
2003 “Wilmington College World Peace Symposium”, Wilmington, OH
2001 “Recent Landscapes”, Art Beat Gallery, Louisville, KY

Selected Group Shows
2008-14 Gingerbread Square Gallery, Key West, FL. Two-person show
2008 “Showtime”, Boulder, CO
2007 “Cincinnati’s Favorite Artists”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH. Three-person show
2005 “45th Anniversary Show”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“No Place Like Home”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2004 “Miller Gallery Miniature Show”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2003 “Three Women, Three Views”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“Art in the Evening”, Hyde Park, OH
2003, 2001, 1999 “Art in the Evening,” Hyde Park, Cincinnati, OH
2002 “Landscape Show,” Mary Bell Gallery, Chicago, IL
“Gardener’s Sanctuary,” Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati, OH
“Grand Finale,” Glendale, OH

Selected Juried Exhibitions
2011 “River Country 2011”, Owensboro Museum of Art, Owensboro, KY
2007 Woodford Reserve, Kentucky Derby Bottle Label, Louisville, KY
2001 “The View,” Rosewood Gallery, Dayton, OH
“Hyde Park Art Show,” Cincinnati, OH
2000 “NVAL 16th Annual Juried Art Show 2000,” Redding, CA
“Lafayette Art Association National Juried Competition,” Lafayette, LA
1999 “View Point ’99-National Juried Exhibit,” Cincinnati, OH
“Echoes & Visions III,” Mission Viejo, CA
“Fresh Art, Devou Park,” Cincinnati, OH
“Cinergy Collection,” traveling Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio
Behringer-Crawford Museum, Covington, KY
1998 “The Grand Exhibition,” Akron, OH
1997 “The Madison Ave Art Gallery Annual Exhibition,” Memphis, TN
“Paint Out”, Pyramid Hill, Hamilton, OH. Third Place

Awards
2013 “Plein Air Easton,” Easton, MD
2011 “RiverCountry 2011”, Owensboro Museum of Art, Owensboro, KY. Purchase Award
2007 Kentucky Derby Bottle competition, Woodford Reserve, Louisville, KY
1999 Behringer-Crawford Museum, Covington, KY. Honorable Mention
1997 “Paint Out, Pyramid Hill,” Hamilton, OH. Third Place

Collections
2010 University of Kentucky Healthcare, Lexington, KY
2007 Caesar’s Casinos, Indiana
2006 Peritus Public Relations, Louisville, KY
Woodford Reserve, Lexington, KY
2003 Crosby Township Historical Society, OH
Kenworth of Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
2001 Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, KY
Mercy Hospital, Fairfield, OH
1998 Cincinnati Financial Center, Cincinnati, OH
Kohnen & Patton, Attorneys, Cincinnati, OH

Bibliography
2011 Art News, Key West Section. January, p. 68 & 73- image and text
2009 “Pleasant Afternoon”, Art News, Key West Section. January, p. 76- image and text
“Art in Residence”, by Charissa Acree, Peritus Public Relations Newsletter. May 13
“KY Landscape Paintings”, Staff Picks by Jo Anne Triplett, LEO Weekly, August 26, pg. 27
2008 “Sophisticated Living”, Prospect, KY. image, November/December, pg. 26

Artist Statement 2011
What Matters
Color is my inspiration. Placement, interpretation, and swirls of visible knife strokes climb through the composition- scraping, blending, and making the edges of vibrant colors mesh, beyond reality, but believable.
These paintings are about a drive along the river- slow down, drink in the day, stopping, enjoying and finding the dialogue to say what I need to say. Life is intoxicating if you take time to notice.
It is strictly out of selfishness that I paint; I enjoy it that much. An hour passes, a day, however long it takes. No rules, no guidelines, just visual communication, connecting with others that appreciate the dialogue.