MONROE — The artwork of Pamela Ruschman will be on exhibit in the Monroe Arts Center’s Wellington Gallery until Aug. 27.
Ruschman is a local artist best known for her bold and vibrant oil portraits of barnyard animals including cows, roosters and sheep. Collectors say her paintings capture the personality of these furry and feathered friends.
Pamela Ruschman has studied with master painters including Daniel Gerhartz, Stapleton Kearns and Lori Beringer. She grew up on a dairy farm outside of Blanchardville. As a young child, she fed pigs and chickens as part of her daily chores and even helped raise orphan piglets under a warm heating lamp. As she grew older, milking the cows and helping with crop harvest became part of her everyday life. Needless to say, agriculture and the love of animals is in her heart. She never imagined as a young child that these experiences on the farm would play such an important role in her painting career.
After more than a decade in the agricultural advertising industry, painting Wisconsin’s landscape and livestock has become her passion. She uses both the alla prima (painting all at once) and plein air (in the open air) to influence her larger studio work.
“Painting from life is such an important part of my process to provide information for my art,” Ruschman said. “Supplementing this with photography is necessary because it’s very difficult to tell a rambunctious rooster to hold a pose.”
Drawing on her love of Wisconsin’s seasons, Ruschman especially enjoys painting outdoors during the winter months. It’s a quiet season, which suits her personality.
“Winter is a fact of life for those of us living in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. The warm hues of the livestock in winter are offset nicely by the cool background of nature, especially during a snowfall. In winter, no two days are ever alike,” Ruschman said.
This Exhibit has been supported by MAC Corporate Underwriter Colony Brands, Inc. and Season Media Underwriter Big Radio, with additional support from Mike and Shelley Muranyi, Paul and Sue Barrett, David and Julie Buchanan, Gof and Mary Thomson, Pete Guenther and Barb Woodriff, Don Amphlett and Jan Johnson, David and Janeen Babler, and Chuck and Chris Wellington.
