“For me, art is like breathing,” says artist Pamela Hamilton. “It has always been in me—it just had to get out.” From an early age, she was irresistibly drawn to creating images, a creative instinct that continues to shape her work today. Based in Geneva, Illinois, Hamilton finds ongoing inspiration in the natural beauty and quiet moments that surround her.​​​​​​​

Hamilton studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and later built a successful career in print and publishing, serving as Art Director of Country Sampler magazine. In 2012, she made the leap-of-faith decision to pursue fine art full time, earning national recognition for her luminous pastel work.

Working primarily in soft pastel, Hamilton is drawn to the medium’s immediacy and it’s rich, painterly quality. Her work focuses primarily on landscapes and florals, along with still life and animal subjects. “I don’t think with words; I think in images,” she explains. “I’m inspired by the beauty all around me, and from there it’s all about color and seeking the light.”

Hamilton’s work has received more than 50 awards and honors in juried exhibitions and has earned recognition from national pastel organizations. She is a Master Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) and a Signature Member of both the Pastel Society of America and Chicago Pastel Painters. Her work has been featured in International Artist magazine, and she has twice served on the faculty of Streamline Publishing’s global virtual art conference, Pastel Live.

Her work is represented by Edgewood Orchard Galleries in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Hamilton teaches weekly pastel classes from her private studio in Geneva, Illinois. She collaborated with Jack Richeson & Co. on her private-label hand-rolled soft pastel collection, Pamela Hamilton Basics & Brights.