Pamela Grau

I have been happily lost in the studio lately, working on a new series that brings together so many of the things I love: layers, texture, Gelli-plate printing, collage, color, and wonderfully weird botanical shapes. The new series is called Flora and Other Stories, and it feels like a joyful next chapter in my work. I currently have 10 new original pieces at 10 West Gallery in Santa Barbara, with a reception on October 1 from 5 to 8 pm. I would love to see you there! And then comes the Ojai Studio Artists Tour. I am busy cleaning up the studio, organizing artwork, and attempting to make the place look as though an artist does not actually work there! It has been an extraordinary creative year for me. After all these years, I am still discovering new ways to make art, and that may be the most exciting part of all. I hope you will come by during the Tour, see the new work, and say hello. There are lots of new stories blooming in the studio!

This Saturday, August 22nd at 2 PM, I’ll be giving an Artist Talk at the Santa Paula Art Museum in conjunction with my exhibition, A Woman’s Painted Journey. I’ll be sharing a little about the evolution of my work and the many layers—both traditional and digital—that come together in my mixed-media process. I’ll also give a short demonstration of one of my favorite tools: the Gelli plate. Gelli printing has become an important part of my creative process, allowing me to create the mysterious textures, unexpected patterns, and richly layered surfaces that appear throughout my work. I love the element of surprise—no two prints are ever quite alike, and those beautiful imperfections often become the starting point for something entirely new. If you’ve ever wondered “How did she make that?”, come join me! I’ll pull back the curtain a little and share how experimentation, technology, photography, painted papers, and plenty of happy accidents find their way into my finished pieces. Saturday August 22nd at 2 PM Santa Paula Art Museum 117 N. 10th Street, Santa Paula I’d love to see you there!

There’s something about a road trip that resets my creative eye. Ray recently acquired a new truck and drove it back from Northern Idaho. I flew up to Portland to meet him, and together we took the long and beautiful route home to Ojai, stopping in Bend, Mount Shasta, Winters, and Cambria along the way. Each place offered a different landscape, light, and rhythm and plenty of reasons to stop, wander, and look. Lately, I find myself more captivated by flowers than ever. I’m looking beyond their obvious beauty and noticing their structure: the architecture of petals, the repetition of shapes, unexpected color combinations, and that wonderful balance between order and wildness. Sometimes their vibrance feels almost impossible. All of it is finding its way back into the studio. Of course, once I begin to paint, I forget most of what I’ve consciously observed. But perhaps that’s the point. Those impressions settle somewhere beneath the surface and become part of the impulse to create. It feels good to be home in Ojai, with a camera full of images, a head full of color, and plenty of new ideas waiting to become something.

Join us for an unforgettable evening high atop Sulphur Mountain, where breathtaking views, exceptional food, and inspiring conversation come together in support of the arts in our community. Dine beneath a canopy of stars in a remote and exquisite garden setting while enjoying handcrafted cocktails, appetizers, a delicious paella cooked over the open fire, fresh seasonal salad, and home made ice cream—all prepared by artists. The evening begins with cocktails and appetizers accompanied by the mellow jazz of Brian McCann, guests will have the opportunity to mingle with artists, collectors, patrons, and arts supporters, engage in lively conversations about creativity and culture, enjoy the paintings, sculpture, jewelry and stained glass created by the artists who prepared your dinner and explore a remarkable private artist studio nestled in this extraordinary setting. After dinner while enjoying home made ice cream, stroll through the garden to the strains of Brian McCann’s quiet jazz. This intimate fundraising event benefits arts programming in Ojai and helps ensure that creativity continues to flourish in our community. Limited Seating Available Reserve your place now for this spectacular evening before tickets sell out.

Big News! I have a new place to teach classes – in downtown Ojai Gelli Plate Printing: Botanicals - Sunday, July 12th 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Cost: $60 All materials included - no experience needed Gelli plate printing is a fun and accessible form of monoprinting that allows artists to create beautiful layered prints using paint, texture, and found botanical materials. Leaves, flowers, grasses, and other natural forms become the inspiration for unique one-of-a-kind prints. Space is limited to just ten participants. Register on my website: www.pamgrauprints.com

This spring has been full of exciting milestones. My solo exhibition, A Woman's Painted Journey, is currently on view at the Santa Paula Art Museum through September 13. The exhibit features more than 50 works created over the past four years and reflects a period of artistic exploration, growth, and reinvention. I'm also delighted to share that seven of my original paintings sold this month at 10 West Gallery in Santa Barbara—the strongest response I've ever received there. The enthusiasm has encouraged me to continue developing my Strange Flowers Series. In addition, I am opening a small classroom space in downtown Ojai, where I will offer classes in Gelli Plate Printing and digital drawing on the iPad using Procreate. Beginners are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary. If you'd like to be notified when class schedules are announced, please reach out. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.

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.