Pamela Sukhum’s fascinating process of art and life September 15 2025, 0 Comments
By Kimberly Nicoletti
Most creative people have so many interesting facets to them, they’re a treasure trove of inspiration to talk to. Such is the case with Pamela Sukhum.
In the spirit of creative exploration and delving into the mystery of the unknown, which Pamela thrives on, here are some bite-size nuggets about her and her art as conversation starters. That way, it’s a bit more like a scavenger hunt. Stop in to view her work any time and let this information deepen your appreciation of her art.
• Her custom-created paint: It took 10 years to create her own, original paint that appears glassy and wet long after it dries. Her background in chemistry aided the process.
• Before she became a painter: She worked as a researcher in cardiovascular health and electrophysiology.
• Her courageous career change: She barely had enough money for one month’s rent when she moved to her studio in Minneapolis. But in 2003, her longing for creative freedom took over, so she asked herself: If I wasn’t afraid, what would I do? She says painting came out of left field and was so odd that she decided to trust her gut. “I took a leap of living the life of the artform. A lot of it was based on intuition. When something arises within me, I’ll start to follow that, and most of the time, it’s landed in a very trustworthy place.”
• Her view on creativity: “Often the role of an artist is to bring something into being that hasn’t been seen before in a way,” she says.
• Her view on other people’s creativity: She hears people say they’re not creative, but she believes that even if you don’t pick up a brush, pen or other artistic tool, you are creative. “It’s an inborn and innate ability — not even with your hands, but the way that you perceive and see is unique to each human being. The way that we perceive and see can always be kept fresh if we keep our minds open.”
• How to stay open: “A lot of times we’ll see something and we label it, and then it’s almost like we file it away as a known experience, whereas if we can retain that sense of wonder and discovery and curiosity … we have that capacity to see again with fresh eyes,” she says.
• Her two collections that portray the mystery: Natural Surrealism tweaks elements of nature, such as a flower, into a more surreal, yet still recognizable bloom. Its surrealism reflects the essence of what she views in nature and often places the brain on pause for a moment. “It’s a little less real, so that it opens the mind naturally. The mind cannot rest on it (and say) ‘That is exactly this flower, I know this flower,’” she says.
Meanwhile, Mystical Realism makes mystical aspects of life a little more real — or at least points to the truth, providing “that touchstone into the essences of who and what we are, truly.”
• Her initial process of painting: She lets go of preconceived notions, which could include sitting in front of a blank canvas for however long it takes. When she feels the edge of discomfort, she knows there’s “a different impetus that wants to break through.”
• The continuation of her process: Her urge feels like a burst of energy, which she follows by moving her whole body around the canvas, placed on the floor to keep wide brush strokes of thick layers of paint from sliding off. “There isn’t a moment for the mind to arise — (there’s a) goal of keeping the mind quiet and just moving,” she says, adding that it’s very embodied, dynamic and kinetic. She might carve out a flower through the paint she laid down and then add tiny details.
Her Mystical Realism collection stems from profound meditative states and translates them into visual form to represent the mystical. “Everything starts in very quiet layers. It’s just layer after layer of very subtle layers. Then, when the little (20-hair) brush comes out, it’s literally just a dot, and then maybe a line. It’s something that’s there, that’s just coming into focus, but so quietly and so slowly.”
• More about entering the mystery: “When we go into this unknown territory, there is that sense of trepidation and mystery that we both fear and enjoy as we get a taste of it,” she says. “Following the inspiration and being willing to fail helps keep that sense of freshness and curiosity alive.”
• What she believes about her paintings: “They’re uplifting and inspiring. They illuminate the light that lives and that is unextinguishable within all of us, no matter what our circumstances are. … My work is a celebration of life itself.”
• How Mystical Surrealism came about: In 2010, she felt herself going increasingly inward, so she spent a complete year in silence. She did briefly speak to an assistant about functional needs, as well as her husband, but otherwise, she remained without conversation. Even her studio was cave-like, with one single lamp focused on the canvas. She views the experience as a journey of distilling things down to the essence. “To me, it felt very grounded and very sane — just a little out of the norm,” she says.
• How she views commonalities of her former health research career with painting: Both involve a search for the truth. “At the heart of it, I always wanted to be an explorer,” she says. “Searching for the universal truth is at the heart of it all for all of us.” Science allowed her to look deeply into smaller and smaller levels of matter, from the heart to the vessels, chambers, cells and beyond. She yearns to experience the deepest mystery of why we’re here. “It’s like this conversation with the unknown and the mystery and bringing that into being,” she says.
•What she enjoys in nature: Nature reminds her who she truly is. She spends as much time outside as possible, from surfing and swimming to hiking, climbing and generally connecting to nature.
• Travel experiences: Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, the Hawaiian Islands, South America and Africa have all inspired her work. She says cultural relativity scrambles the brain in a good way, helping us celebrate differences “as a beautiful tapestry we humans can bring tighter,” as well as unite us in universal commonalities.
• What she hopes her paintings remind people of: Balance and harmony
• What she’s working on now: An “ecstatic” life series, which combines elements of nature and what it means to be human; it’s her way of honoring nature. Ask her about the fire in Maui where she lost 170 pieces, and she has a lot to say, including the process of rising from the ashes.
• Her Beautiful Project: She started her nonprofit, The Beautiful Project, in 2006 out of appreciation for the power of art. “I felt like artmaking itself gave me back my own sense of humanity, as well as self-empowerment, and I really wanted to share that with others,” she says. She started offering art in refugee camps, where people perhaps feel most disempowered and displaced. For instance, she discovered children didn’t want to speak, but they did express themselves through art. She has worked with the United Nations, Big Brothers Big Sisters and other large projects nationwide, including community mural projects, where 30 to 100 people gather to create something beautiful for the community. A portion of sales from every piece of her art work helps fund the nonprofit.
