Pam Oden Teaches Watercolor!
Pam Oden Teaches Watercolor!
Watercolorist Pam Oden is a fourth-generation painter who has had countless artworks featured at The Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center. This season, she is teaching Beginning Watercolor Painting on Fridays, January 18 through March 22 from 1:30-4pm (Register Online). Pam is a Virginia Watercolor Society member who recently retired from a medical office management position where she worked for 28 years.
Get to know Pam Oden by reading the Q&A below:
What is your favorite medium?
Watercolor; I enjoy its luminescent color and the spontaneity of 'happy accidents.' Yes, there is planning in the process, but then at some point you let the painting lead you as you respond to what's happening on the paper... Kind of like life, I think; it's fun and unpredictable as you approach 'resolution.'
What is the best thing about teaching?
As a new teacher at CTVAC, I have loved sharing the students' enthusiasm for watercolor. What a happy moment for me at the beginning of the second class to see the students come back with the paintings they had completed at home from first session. I was taken aback at the students' engagement in applying design elements to create expressive paintings!
What is the best encounter you've had with a student?
I enjoyed an 'art history' moment with a student interested in conveying a message in his work; we talked about Gericault's "Raft of the Medusa" and JM Turner's "The Slave Ship" in conveying social message during the Romantic period. We looked at Turner's watercolors and his use of light to convey feeling. I love the timeless power of art's message to us!
Why is art important?
Art is important because it allows me 'expression.' Can I draw from within to convey a 'mood' so that the viewer catches my feeling about the subject? Art has also helped me work within the context of a 'left brain' stressful world. The artistic 'right brain' expression has always been balancing to me and made 'work' fun and engaging.
What makes The Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center unique?
The opportunities for involvement to show your work as a student are special. Each winter, the Hampton Arts League does a members show where everyone participates in a warm, supportive atmosphere. Then the Miniatures and Small Works Show allows full participation. The Sunday gallery talks are also special opportunities to hear the artist talk about the inspiration behind their pieces. And when I'm the student in a painting class, its fun to take a 10 minute break from my piece to thoughtfully walk through the Galleries looking at the current 'show'... I come back to my work with renewed inspiration. And the staff is so nice, knowing everyone personally by name!
If you took a class (that wasn't your own), which would you take?
I'd take Betty Anglin's watercolor class. She's a master water-colorist who inspires by both her life and her work. I love her bold use of color and strong sense of design. She creates a caring art community within her classes, which enhances the painting experience.