Painter Pam Hatch, who grew up in Texas City and now
lives in League City, says her greatest reward from art is
“people being touched by my work in some way.” Hatch
paints in vibrant-toned pastels and acrylic, and she teaches
classes in those media at Sue Bown Studio in Dickinson,
Upper Bay Frame & Gallery in League City, and
Texas Art Supply in League City. A Galveston Art League
member who is well-known for her landscapes executed
in pastels, Hatch, 72, also leads workshops in that specialty
at the Art League’s downtown Galveston gallery.
She has won awards at Art League juried competitions
and has been published twice in the Christians in
the Visual Arts (CIVA) international directory. Hatch sells
her paintings, which are often inspired by photos she has
taken during her Texas travels, at Upper Bay Frame & Gallery
and through her website, PamHatch.com. Below, she
shares personal insights about art and her approach to
painting.
Q: When did you start creating artwork?
A: I loved it from the time I was a child and began with
the usual crayons and pencils. My family was very artoriented
and encouraged me. My mother drew, my grandmother
was an artist in oil, and my grandfather, who was
an architect in Galveston, painted in watercolor. As a
young teenager, I began working in oil, but turpentine
and linseed oil give me a headache so I don’t do oils
anymore.
Q: What types of art classes have you taken? Are
you still learning?
A: I took a couple at Alvin Community
College, but I’m mostly self-taught
and have taken workshops through the
years. I get inspired when I read and
see something creative. It inspires me
to experiment. I still want to improve. My
biggest challenge is getting values ―
the darkness and lightness of colors ―
right because I wasn’t taught that, and
the books available then didn’t teach it
the way they do now. I’m also working
on composition and printing and trying
to improve my technique.
Q: What famous artist you admire?
A: The first one who comes to mind is
the Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla. He’s
known for painting beautiful light on figures
and water.
Q: What types of things do you paint?
A: I did a lot of wetlands and people
called me “the marsh lady” or “the
swamp lady.” I have a tendency to go toward water.
I like the reflections and the symbolism of water, the
peacefulness of it. But my real love is painting the
interiors of churches
even though I haven’t
done a lot of them. I
got started with them through the Sacred Places Tour
in Galveston.
Q: Can you briefly describe your process?
A: I’m not a structured painter. I’m inspired by the
memory of what I’m painting ― the wind, sound, the
water rushing by. I look at the composition. I might
remove a tree if it’s in the wrong place for the best
composition of the painting. I like color and I like to
push the color in my art. Sometimes I paint in colors
that aren’t true to real life. I like to give the color a little
sparkle.
Q: Do you work mostly indoors?
A: Yes, because it’s more comfortable for me. But
my classes go outside a couple of times a year to
plein air paint.
Q: Do you manage your time well?
A: I’m not very disciplined. When I was younger, I
was more focused. I get distracted more easily now
that my husband retired and our schedule is very flexible.
I want to try everything. In the past I’ve done as
many as 100 paintings a year, but now it’s closer to
10 a year.
Q: What’s your best tip for beginning artists?
A: Try not to copy other artists’ work unless it’s just
to learn technique. So many people are copying today
because it’s easy. But you won’t develop a voice
of your own by copying.
