Spotlight: Pamela Loewen, Contemporary Artist

Pamela Loewen discovered quilt making as an art form and now creates colorful, joyful and intricately made art quilts with a high level of craftsmanship. She enjoys working in a series to be able to explore ideas in depth, as each idea has many iterations. During the past few years she has been renovating a building to open a gallery and studio.

How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there?  Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving? 

I have always loved making things. I considered art school, but didn’t really have a medium I loved. Then I discovered Nancy Crow. Reading her books and seeing her work, I realized that quilt making could be pursued as an art form. Now I had a medium!  

If we asked a good friend of yours to describe your work, what would they say? 

Colorful, joyful, intricately made with a high level of craftsmanship and amazing quilting. 

Do you do series work? How does that affect your approach? 

Yes, I work in series. I like to explore ideas in depth. A good idea has many iterations. As one of my mentors told me, there is always  more than one solution for a design. I view art making as a process of discovery. If I am not surprised as I create a piece, most likely viewers won’t be either.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs? 

Plants, trees, birds, colors of the sky, books, all kinds of museums, travel, architecture and the work of other artists. I am always looking &  observing. 

Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your  work develop?

I always travel with a sketchbook. I draw the most when I am unable to be in my studio. I also practice drawing out machine quilting lines  without lifting my pencil. If I can draw it, I can quilt it. 

Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in  with your materials and start playing? 

My work usually starts with an idea. For example I discovered while visiting a national park in Southern California that there are plants that only bloom at night. This was the idea behind “Midnight Garden.” 

Describe your creative spaces. 

For the past 16 years I have had a dedicated studio space in my home. It has a 10 foot ceiling, full spectrum lighting, 8 foot tall pin-able design walls all the way around the 20’ by 40’ room. I have a large cutting  table and big ironing station. In the mechanical room of my basement I also have a dye studio set up. 

In 2019 I bought an historic two-story building in my small town. I  needed a larger studio space and wanted a place where I could teach. This building will have a gallery promoting quilts as art, a new studio on the second floor with over 100 feet of pinnable design walls and a small teaching space in the back. (loewengallery.com) 

What are the indispensable tools and materials in your studio?  

Pin-able design walls, large cutting tables, and full spectrum lighting.  Also large ironing stations. In my new studio space I have two large cutting tables on wheels I can put together to create a huge cutting surface. 

How do they improve your work? 

I design on my walls. I cut out and place every piece before I begin to  sew. Working this way always me to step back and see my work as I am designing.  

Large cutting surfaces allow me to cut out large forms. It also makes it  easier to square up finished work. 

Full spectrum lighting helps me see true color relationships. 

How often do you start a new project? Do you work actively on  more than one project at a time? 

I began quilt making in my twenties while I was still single. In the past, as I was raising my children, I would work on a large composition for over a year. Obviously this was not ideal, but I did what I could with the time that I had. I found this very frustrating.  

Then I tried a new tact. Instead of waiting for large windows of time to work (which were few and far between), I began using smaller windows of time. Okay, I had 30 minutes. I would go in my studio and see what I could get done in that time frame. This allowed me to get more studio time and get more done. Sometimes we self-sabotage when we wait for the ideal instead of making do with what we have. 

Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your  works? How does a new work come about? 

This is where working in a series is really beneficial. The framework of your series provide an immediate starting point. For example I have a garden series that began in 2014. After a trip to the southwest I was inspired to create Desert Garden.  

Tell us about a time when you truly stretched yourself as an artist. 

I was invited to submit up to four large pieces to an invitational show,  “Circular Abstractions” curated by Nancy Crow. I designed and pieced all four of these compositions in only 7 months. That was a record for me. It took me another two years to get all of them quilted and finished. 

What inspires you to create? 

Creating is like breathing to me. I am compelled to create. For me sewing is a meditative process. While the world around me swirls in chaos, I can choose to celebrate beauty with each stitch I sew. 

What was the biggest challenge that you encountered on your creative journey? What did you learn from it? 

Time management. Learning to give myself permission to create.  Honoring the desire to create as something valid, meaningful and good. 

What traits, if any, do you think that creative people have as compared to people who are not creative?  

I actually believe most people are creative. It just manifests in different ways. To me creativity and curiosity are linked. Creativity is also akin to exploration. Children are amazingly creative. If you want to increase your creativity, cultivate your curiosity. Take time to look at the world around you and marvel at what you see. 

Where can people see your work? 

People can see my work on my website, pamelaloewen.com. Also when my gallery opens, my  Garden Series will be the opening show. 

What’s next for you? 

The renovations of my building are nearly complete and I hope to open Loewen Studio & Gallery within the next year. (loewengallery.com) The primary focus of the gallery is presenting quilts as art. 

Tell us about your blog and/or website. What do you hope people will gain by visiting? 

In my blog I invite people into my creative process. I show my work in  progress. I talk about how the events in my life shape my work. I share ideas on how to keep developing as an artist and where I find inspiration for my work.

Interview posted July 2023