Pam Uhlenkamp Mandala paintings on display in Crestone

CRESTONE — Pam Uhlenkamp’s mandala paintings will be on display at the Shumei Shop/ MoSPACE Gallery in Crestone from Oct. 27th through January 5th.  Pam will be teaching a mandala painting class sponsored in part by Present & Creative Art Supply, MoSPACE, and Shumei International Institute December 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. for ages 8 years and up. Please email [email protected] to get more information on material fee and to reserve a space. 

Pam went to a small university in MN and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She became a graphic designer and has been for over 30 years. She started designing when there weren’t computers yet, so design was totally different thing, you pasted up on a board and hand drew lettering.

Pam developed an interest in creating art and in painting at an early age. Her aunt, who was a professional oil painter, took her under her wing and taught her to paint when she was seven years old. Pam says, “I thought oils took too long to dry, so I started watercolor painting and did that for many years. About 11 years ago I started painting mandalas, so then I learned how to paint with acrylics because of the brilliance and smoothness that can be created. The mandalas I’ve done in watercolor have their own character because the spontaneous nature of the medium makes them more loose and artistic.”

Before she painted mandalas, Pam painted landscapes, portraits, or still lifes in watercolor. She became interested in mandala painting when she met a painting teacher, Paul Hussanstamm and began studying with him. She shares, “I’m very attracted to symmetry, the beauty of form arising from balanced proportions. Painting mandalas grew out of my graphic design background. I’m able to create the designs on the computer, transfer them to the canvas and then I begin with a perfect symmetrical pattern, adding color and dimension.”

Pam is inspired by the colors and forms in nature. “One of my paintings is a likeness to a sunflower, another is the sun over the ocean, and blue sky with soft clouds is another.”  The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Come visit the Shumei Shop and MoSPACE Gallery Wed. through Saturday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Jyorei is available on those days from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. 116 S. Alder St., Suite C, Crestone.