Largely self taught, painter Pam Nuesslar is the featured artist at The Gallery in Mogo until the end of the October long weekend.
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It is a well-deserved honour for this committed, hard-working and generous artist.
Pam has thrown herself into her art since retiring to Batemans Bay five years ago, attending workshops, following demonstrations on YouTube and joining local art societies and outdoor painting groups such as the “All Weather Artists”.
But in the early years she said that “working as a nurse and caring for two small children meant that my art activity was sporadic to say the least”.
This changed when, in the early 1980s, she found herself living on the beautiful tropical island of Bougainville and entered a local art show.
Much to her surprise she took out both first and second prize.
The sense of the tropics can still be seen in her work with its underlying patterns, strong line and bright colour.
This can be seen at The Gallery in her featured paintings of “Surf Beach” and a cliff-top view out across the sea at Pretty Point Beach in a watercolour, simply called “Malua Bay”.
“I love the South Coast and its many beautiful beaches as well as local icons such as Bay Bridge and the marina,” Pam said.
Her oil painting, “Batemans Bay” is a deceptively simple picture of boats at the marina with Square Head and Murramarang NP in the far distance.
In the foreground the boats and their shadows frame a body of water broken up by reflections of masts, rigging and mooring posts.
Wispy clouds move across a muted sky that dominates more than half the painting.
It took real skill and care to successfully pull all this together!
During a recent extended stay in hospital, Pam kept herself occupied making thumbnail sketches of staff and fellow patients.
These beautiful, sensitive and perceptive portraits were noted by the “powers that be”. Pam was soon persuaded to conduct art classes for older people.
In the past Pam found art was a good therapy for helping her overcome the grief of losing a much loved mother.
Today she says of the two classes she runs, “I have been rewarded in the best possible way seeing the look of happiness in the eyes of people creating their very own ‘masterpieces’.”
The Gallery is a co-operative venture of CABBI, a society open to local arts and crafts practitioners. For more information about CABBI drop into The Gallery or phone 4474 2243.