Pamela Ruschman

Pamela is best known for her bold and vibrant oil portraits of barnyard animals including cows, roosters and sheep.  Collectors say her paintings capture the personality of these furry and feathered friends.

She grew up on a dairy farm outside of Blanchardville, Wi.  As a young child, she fed the pigs and chickens as part of her daily chores and even helped raise orphan piglets under a warm heating lamp.  As she grew older, milking the cows and helping with crop harvest became part of her everyday life.  Needless to say, agriculture and the love of animals is in her heart.  She never imagined as a young child that these experiences on the farm would play such an important role in her painting career.

After more than a decade in the agricultural advertising industry, painting Wisconsin’s landscape and livestock has become her passion.  She uses both the alla prima (painting all at once) and plein air (in the open air) to influence her larger studio work.  Pamela adds, “Painting from life is such an important part of my process to provide information for my art.  Supplementing this with photography is necessary because it’s very difficult to tell a rambunctious rooster to hold a pose.”  

Drawing on her love of Wisconsin’s seasons, Pamela especially enjoys painting outdoors during the winter months.  It’s a quiet season, which suits her personality.

Often you will find Pamela driving down country roads searching for that next inspiration or setting up her easel with some friendly Wisconsin cows or snow filled landscape.