Pam Hawkes

Hortus Conclusus- 21st Century Contemporary Portrait Painting of a Girl

2018

Pam Hawkes was born in Birmingham in England and still lives in the Midlands. She creates art with a mix of modern and medieval touch. It is personal and yet it has a challenging epic quality. And although the subject may be sensual, the depicted models often radiate a cool detachment. This contradiction is special about the work of Hawkes. Hawkesis one of the most popular artists. In her exhibition, the “Grenzeless” in the Netherlands, combinations that are reminiscent of Byzantine religious icons with centuries of painting were shown. The golden sacred art of 1000 years ago was always an inspiration for Pam, which makes it unusual for contemporary painters. She explains, “The craftsmen who painted these statues were not allowed to deviate from the visual language prescribed by the church. And yet these icons seem to take on, regardless of the persona the spectator or worshiper needs. My work costs a lot of this”. Hawkes came to her unique style called ‘modern gothic’ through decades of hard work and study. She started at the classical art academy, with an emphasis on art for 11 years, before going to work in the famous jewelry district of Birmingham. But then life intervened and it was not until her thirties that Hawkes had the opportunity to revisit her talent. Shortly thereafter she took a MA from the University of Central England and she began giving lectures about drawing art and life at schools and universities in the region. She admits that she does not always practice what she learns. Hawkes knows the value of preparation but often ignores it in her approach to painting. “I oppose all that I have learned and learned. I rarely do research or preparatory drawings. I immediately go on with a half idea and work it out while I continue.”, she says. Pam's free-wheeling approach results in several spectacular original ideas. And they certainly do not look unformed or unfinished. Pam's paintings are always beautifully composed, even if they are strange in what they portray. The echo of those Byzantine icons is visible here. The golden color scheme, the classic posed subject and the unusual frame. Her painting Spring is a wedding portrait with a special framework and a Halo of bees which is a perfect example of this. Hawkes herself says, “The characters in my paintings do not easily give away their stories. It is a seductive world they refer to, a place of myth and mystery. They invite us on a certain level to speculate about the idealized memories of their lives and give a second thought to the half-forgotten fables that we all collect and carry through our world.”