We recently connected with Pam Imhof and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Pam, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

One rainy afternoon while I was in college my roommate and I started talking about knitting and she mentioned crocheting. I had tried knitting, but always wanted to learn how to crochet. Excited to learn something new, her and I went right out to the craft store. I decided I wanted to make a large square blanket and purchased a 4.25mm crochet hook and 8 skeins of yarn. Ambitious for a first project yes, but I wonder if I somehow knew I would love it. My roommate taught me the single crochet stitch and showed me how to build my stitches into the back loop which made the blanket super stretchy. I picked it up within a few minutes and was hooked! (See what I did there?) I decided I was going to make and 8 by 8 square blanket and couldn’t stop. I finished that blanket within a month or two after making numerous trips back to the craft store for more yarn. I had to keep going. Before I knew it I was learning how to read patterns and crocheting whenever I could. I love how it made my brain quieter. It was a wonderful escape and instantly became my favorite hobby.

In college I was an art education major with a painting concentration. I decided to experiment in one of my painting classes by combining painting and crochet. I wasn’t thrilled with the attempt, so I continued to keep crocheting as a hobby and separate from my art. I kept crocheting and learning as many stitches and patterns as I could.

I didn’t see crocheting as an art form for a long time. But then I discovered free form crochet. The art of crocheting without a pattern and often without a plan. Freeform crochet had the potential to be sculptural and felt much more artistic to me. I returned to the thought of combining my painting and crocheting in 2021. I made a painting of a fish swimming over a crocheted coral reef. I was able to make a number of motifs on my own but also looked up patterns to learn to make the perfect elements to add to the world I was creating. The success of this piece kicked off a series of art that combined spray paint, acrylic paint, and free form crochet.

From there my love for crochet merged with my passion for public and collaborative art. I have since created various yarn bomb and fiber art installations. My favorite one is a combination of a mural and a yarn bomb. Additionally, I facilitated the creation of a large crochet mural to protest recent abortion bans known as the liberty crochet mural. I love that I’ve been able to take this passion of mine and not only turn it into an art form, but to also use it to speak up, help others, and make the world a brighter place.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Pam Imhof and I am a high school art teacher and a professional visual artist. I always loved art, but decided to become an art teacher so I could share my love for art with students and inspire them to become artists. After several years of throwing myself into teaching, making my own art took a backseat Then the pandemic began. I needed an outlet and rediscovered my love for making art. As I started to put my artwork out there on instagram, I gained confidence to start applying for calls to artists for public pieces. I fell in love with making art that could be enjoyed by the masses. The impact public art has on a community is monumental. Currently, my personal work ranges from paintings inspired by nature to fiber arts, like crochet, needle tatting, and bobbin lace. I am a public artist who not only paints murals, but can also activate a space with various fiber art processes. I am thrilled that I found a balance between myself as a painter and a fiber artist. Any space can be activated to encourage community engagement, and inspire others.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn as an artist was that I had to pick one art form and stick with it. In college I chose painting as my concentration and felt like once I completed my foundation courses there was little to no room to explore other art disciplines. I always loved crocheting, but didn’t think it could be respected as an artform. I mostly followed patterns and didn’t think I would be able to expand my skillset and create my own art. I continued to learn more and more about crocheting. When I combined it with my painting, I knew that I was onto something. Being both a painter and a fiber artist began to feel so authentically me, the energy was contagious. Over the last few years, I’ve had the honor of working with numerous businesses and establishments that gave me the space to continue to grow my hybrid creative practice.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In March of 2022 I was selected to decorate a giant fiberglass egg for the Charlotte Shout festival. My concept was to recreate one of my mixed media pieces and combine spray paint, acrylic paint, and free form crochet. This was before I had studio space so I would be completing this project in my apartment. When I picked up the egg it barely fit into my tiny SUV. I took the egg out and found an empty part of my complex’s parking lot to spray paint the egg. I definitely got a few strange looks, but also a few cheers of encouragement After the egg dried for a bit, a friend and I lugged the egg up to my third floor apartment only to find out it didn’t fit through the front door! I left it on the breezeway. I had quite a few offers to store the egg in various friends garages and sheds, but because of my busy schedule, I needed to have access to work on this project at anytime. I resolved to keep the egg on the breezeway and work on it outside. Calling the apartment office to let them know I would be doing this was definitely an interesting conversation. I assured them that it would be gone by the end of the month. I worked on the egg throughout the month in spite of freezing temperatures, rain, wind, and even power outages. I couldn’t paint with gloves on and often had to stop when my hands were too cold. I remember the power going out one evening when I planned on working and had to sacrifice my time because there wasn’t enough light to work. I ended up finishing just in the nick of time and to my surprise my egg turned out to be a crowd favorite of the festival. Totally worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theleftbrainedartist.com/
• Instagram: @theleftbrainedartist
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-imhof-2b3bb634

Image Credits
Ryan Allen- Egg Image with grass in front