Pamela Sukhum
Pamela Sukhum's paintings are characterized by rich colors, glasslike textures, and heartwarming energy. Her combination of bold and broad sweeping lines with intricately painted details gives her work depth, dimension and movement truly unique in the art world. Whether inspired by meditating in the monasteries of Tibet, trekking the rugged mountains of Bhutan or Colorado, surfing in Kaui, or administering aid in the refugee camps of Africa, Sukhum’s art conveys a generosity of spirt and love for our world.
Formerly a research scientist in Cardiovascular Health and Electrophysiology, Sukhum left the biomedical field in 2005 to pursue her true passion: Painting. In looking for more freedom and expression in life she asked herself, “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid of anything?” Though she had never painted before putting brush to canvas and filling the world with color came to mind. She painted in secret for the next five years until she moved into her downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota studio with barely enough money in hand for the first month’s rent. Today, Sukhum works from her studios in Minneapolis, Crestone, Colorado and Bangkok, Thailand. Her paintings reignite the fire of seasoned art connoisseurs while simultaneously sparking a new generation of fine art collectors and are held in prominent collections throughout the world.
Sukhum’s corporate collections include those of Ernst and Young, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Novartis, Deloitte, and Clifford Chance Worldwide, among others. She has completed memorable live painting performances in front of large crowds in big cities and in intimate art gallery settings in idyllic towns. A 30-foot mural in Mazatlan, Mexico highlights her significant list of private commissions. Her work has been featured on the covers of publications worldwide and was featured in an Emmy-nominated PBS special dedicated to her art and inspiration.
A major part of Sukhum’s career is her devotion to the nonprofit she founded in 2006 called The Beautiful Project. The organization has worked closely with communities in 8 countries and over 20 American cities. The Beautiful Project uses art as a means of unifying and transforming lives through community mural projects, providing healing art programs in refugee camps and offering educational scholarships to under-served children and young adults. A portion of every Sukhum sale goes to The Beautiful Project.
Elements of realism and abstract art abound in Sukhum’s work to tell stories of the world’s, and our own, inner and outer beauty. This is most often expressed in natural and botanical themes. Her work combines the disciplines of science and art, leading to paintings that encourage exploration in search of deeper meaning. Sukhum says her art celebrates, “that feeling of delight, freedom and awe as we reunite with the elements around us, reminding us of our deep and wondrous interconnectedness and capacity for unbounded joy.”
Uplifting others is a necessary mission for Sukhum. It shows in the vibrant color, lush texture and inspiring energy that arises from her paintings. Her dazzling color emanates from her background as a scientist, as she pioneered new ways to make her paints look like glass, porcelain or silk. Thus, her paintings emit a signature glow, mesmerizing viewers as we ponder how they look freshly painted years after their creation. Sukhum’s travels throughout the world and her immersion in many cultures imbues her art with a welcoming and unifying presence. Her paintings reveal the quality of our human experience, serving as brightly colored bridges into new ways of viewing the world.
