Paths branch out in different directions, weaving through the forest in their own winding way, intersecting others; sometimes among the brambles and others near a clearing. Artist and poet Pamela Heemskerk is one of the explorers who I’ve had the sheer blessing of connecting with time and time again in different phases through each of our own journeys.
Artist Statement: “Stepping into the wild, I walk into an Orchestra. Lyrics of the land reveal the full range of human emotion and experience. Words and pictures dance in a collection, riffing and seducing. Light sears, cajoles and illuminates…unlocking secrets. Secrets of the feminine. A mystery of love, grace and death. It is an intimate encounter with childhood, mythology and the search for freedom.” – Pam Heemskerk
View Pam’s Judgment Day series at www.pamelaheemskerk.com
We first met a few years ago through Joyce Tenneson’s Photographing from the Heart at the Maine Media Workshops. As the name may suggest, that environment was rich for soulful connection. Pam reached out, a year or two later, supportive of my first journey to India. She welcomed me into her Maryland home where I photographed the family and she became the primary model for my Dream to Fly project. I had only intended to create one image to add to that body of work, but she carried such an elegance about her that my images of Pam ended up featured throughout the pages, on both the cover and reverse, one of which received the Julia Margaret Cameron Award with the full series receiving recognition as well.
Messages and group dining have been sprinkled in the mix, us both drawn to this same, healing corner of the earth. Now we have reconnected again, my camera in hand once more. Pam has recently received her MFA from Maine Media with a solo show that just wrapped up at Pascal Hall here in Rockport, Maine. Her use of color both soothes and enlivens. While walking through the gallery you could hear her voice reciting poetry which resonated with words on walls and in her artworks. Pam masters the balance between subtle and striking.
There was an image of a horse that I simply cannot get out of my mind. I held that and another equine image with me, as well as a bare tree, outstretched beside a creek in a misty atmosphere. My hope with this session was to capture a small fragment of her voice and vision while portraying her through images that will soon join her works as she continues to build her growing web presence.
I am so, immensely proud of Pam, pursuing dreams, gulping up life by the breathful, and infusing that air into her creations. I cannot wait to see where her work leads to next.
Leave a Reply