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 pigs and chickens as part of her daily chores and even helped raise orphan piglets under the warmth of a 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 became her passion. She uses both the alla prima method (painting all at once) and plein air (outdoors) to influence her larger studio work. Pamela adds, "Painting from life is such an important part of my process to provide critical information for my art. Supplementing this with photography is sometimes 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. Pamela says, "Just as for humans, winter is a fact of life for animals living in the frozen tundra. In winter, the warm hues of the livestock are offset nicely by the cool background of nature, especially during a snowfall."
Pamela has studied with master artists including Daniel Gerhartz, Stapleton Kearns and Lori Beringer. Often you will find Pamela driving down country roads searching for that next inspiration or setting up her easel with some friendly Wisconsin cows.
Community involvement is also important as she volunteers for various organizations, currently serving on the Board of Directors at the Cedarburg Art Museum and Jonathan Clark House Museum. She is past president of the Cedarburg Artists Guild.
Work by Pamela Ruschman
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