Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to PAMELA COFRE. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

PAMELA, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was about 9 years old, as a nerdy, isolated kid. I discovered I had a good eye for copying objects. I especially liked faces and pretty ladies with long straight hair. (It was the 70’s, after all.)

I don’t know many artists that make a living solely on their art. For the most part, if we did it only for the money, most of us would not do it at all. We do it to fill our souls. At times drawing and painting has saved my life. For me the money is just an added, (often necessary) bonus. That does not mean that we should give it away for cheap. I have been painting and drawing professionally for 36 years. I’m 57. I used to underprice my work. I stopped doing that a few years ago, Wish I had seen my own value sooner. But then a lot has changed for artists. Especially lately.

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 art started to be a serious pursuit in college. I was going to be a physical therapist. I saw all the art majors walking around campus with their big portfolios… and I was jealous. Plus, for the life of me, I could not pass chemistry. So, with my parents’ blessing, I switched my major to art. Emphasis in commercial illustration. This was all right before computer graphics took hold. So, after I graduated, I had to tech myself how to draw and design on a computer. No small feat. I can now pretty much Photoshop in my sleep. And Corel Painter and I are best friends, However, colored pencil is my first, and truest love. I do MY art, the surreal stuff, (art just for me), in mostly colored pencil. But the art just for me came later. In the beginning, out of college, I illustrated for canned food labels and packaging. (Chicago is a food town). I always did portraiture on the side. The dream was to make portraits my full-time gig. Unfortunately, it was never enough biz for me to pay my bills. I also charged way less money than I should have. I also gave way too much art away. When they tell you to do it for free because the “exposure” will bring you business, don’t do it. Never give your art away, (unless it is for love). I have been painting portraits of humans and pets, professionally for 36 years. I also have my personal, surreal art, that sometimes sells. I have 2 mediums: Paint and colored pencil. Most folks prefer portraits in paint. In all 36 years, I have never had a client less than THRILLED with their portrait. I often times have to paint from old photos… as the person has long passed. I sometimes have to make up missing details of facial features and anatomy. I love a challenge. When they see their portrait for the first time finished, and they cry, I know I have done my job. It is very personal for me. Oftentimes we both cry. My latest portraits are picturing your loved one in Heaven. Those are my favorite. I truly believe they help to heal from a loss of a loved one. Each portrait takes me about 20 hours + for each subject (person or pet). It is a labor of love. But make no mistake, it is labor. Capturing someone’s “essence” Is the hardest art to make. It takes an excruciatingly accurate eye. One line, a millimeter too much to the left or right, a hare’s breath to big, and it won’t look like your subject. I agonize over my portraits. You only get that kind of eye with years of practice.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of my art is the intimacy of it. My art celebrates a special, particular soul, one painting at time. It celebrates, and it marks a memory in time of a feeling experienced through the eyes of that person… or the mother or loved one related to the person. I get in the trenches, or the joy, or the longing with them and feel what the eyes tell me. Then I paint it

Have you ever had to pivot?

I used to think that duplicating the photo… painting “realism” was all a client would want from me. Over the decades, I have gotten bolder with color… added painterly qualities and decorative, sensitive lines. Adding one’s own expression to a commission of a loved one is scary, but it has not failed me yet. Pushing boundaries is what it life is all about, isn’t it? I learned to trust my instincts, Timid has no place in art. One must be fearless.

Contact Info:

• Website: pamthepainter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamthepeoplepainter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?viewas=100000686899395&id=100063591573408

Image Credits
none needed. I have permission to use