Pamela Grau

There are moments in an artist’s life when a shift occurs quietly at first, almost unnoticed, and then, over time, becomes unmistakable. "A Woman’s Painted Journey", my upcoming solo exhibition at the Santa Paula Art Museum, is a reflection of one of those shifts - a four-year evolution in how I see, gather, and create. Opening on May 16th from 4–6 PM, this body of work traces a path that has been shaped as much by movement through the world as by time in the studio. It is rooted in exploration and observation: long road trips, quiet walks, unexpected encounters with color, light, and form. These moments, fleeting and often small, have become the seeds of each piece. Over the past several years, my process has undergone a transformation. Trained in traditional methods, I found myself increasingly drawn to digital tools - not as a replacement, but as an extension. iPad sketches made in real time, photographs taken along the road, and vector drawings created in the studio now intertwine with hand-painted papers, collage, ink, and layered textures. The result is a hybrid language, one that allows me to move fluidly between spontaneity and control, between intuition and structure.

Just back from our Big Sur road trip, and this time it was the calla lilies that captured me. They were everywhere, rising out of the hillsides with those sensual, sculptural curves. Back in the studio, what began as photographs became sketches, layered painted papers, and digital collage. Travel always leaves a trace.