CASA Magazine
Friday, September 23, 2011
Page 22

UCSB Faculty Club: Pamela Benham

PAMELA BENHAM’S NEW AND VIBRANT PAINTINGS, lyrical and non-representational, will be on view at the UCSB Faculty Club through October 27th.  An artist reception is planned for Tuesday, September 27th, from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Club and will also feature original songs by Travis Ferrell accompanied by Joe Turman on the violin.

“At its best, this work pushes the boundaries of intuitive knowing.  It sings from one unconscious to another of harmony, dissonance, and resolution,” Benham writes in her artist statement.  “It embodies the expressions of our dark side, ignites the elevating acceptance of contradiction, and offers the vision of vitality and knowledge of the ever-present choice to hope.”

Benham’s recent paintings are influenced by the death of her parents within the last year.  Some of the paintings in the exhibit include: Her Husband Died First; Into the Unknown; and Barely Tethered to the Earth, Shifting into Light.  “These paintings demonstrate the strength of emotion that can be communicated with abstract art,” she shared.

Benham’s career as an artist began in New York City and Paris, where she studied at Cooper Union; Art Students’ League; and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.  Her awards include a Ford Foundation and Adolph Gottlieb grant. She has lived and exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, and now resides in Santa Barbara where she has established her painting studio, Studio 93.

Barely Tethered to the Earth, Shifting into Light, 48 x 24 inches, Oil on Canvas by Pamela Benham ©