Competition Spotlight

Competition Spotlight artists are chosen
from competition finalists. View winning
entries from our 24th Annual Art Competition at
www.artistsnetwork.com/2007winners.

Pamela Johnson

Location: Chicago, Illinois Website: www.pamelamichellejohnson.com Her career: My education is actually in civil engineering. I always had a strong appreciation for making art and minored in it in college. After working as an engineer in the construction industry for several years, I left to pursue my love of art. Her process: I work with oil paints on canvas to give classic realism a contemporary twist. I start with a very rough sketch to determine the basic composition for the painting, then take numerous photographs to use as reference. I transfer the drawing to the canvas and begin the slow process of painting. Due to the large scale of my work, I typically spend three to five weeks on a piece. Inspiration for this painting: Following the tradition of still life painters throughout history, I set a goal for this series to create still lifes for our time, based on foods prevalent in American culture. The foods I choose to portray are those that are indicative of our culture as a whole in that they are produced and consumed on a massive scale. Why she creates art: For me, art is a means to communicate the complexities of the human condition by drawing from my experiences and reflections. I like to raise questions about cultural ideals and norms, such as why we embrace complete and instant gratification while ignoring the consequences of our indulgences.

www.artistsmagazine.com ■ November 2008

Burgers I (oil, 72x32) was a finalist in the Still Life category of our 24th Annual Competition.