BEHIND THE PAINTINGS

ABOUT THE ART
As a child, I was endlessly imaginative, dreaming up stories and wishing I could step inside picture books. Art was my escape then, and it remains so now. My landscapes are often remembered yet more often imagined—shaped by feeling rather than fact, like blurred swatches of color glimpsed through a car window—meant to capture the energy and emotion of a fleeting moment.

With a background in graphic design, I’m drawn to strong composition, weaving lines, patterns, and shapes throughout my work. I explore the tension between realism and abstraction, blending semi-abstract landscapes with bold geometric forms. Each piece becomes a dance between control and spontaneity, evolving through risk, curiosity, and play.

Raised by a prolific artist mother, I grew up surrounded by creativity and inspired by her example as a strong woman who defied the “struggling artist” myth. Rooted in Colorado, shaped by years near the ocean, and renewed by Idaho’s rugged beauty, I carry each place into my work. Layers are built and worn away through scratching, scraping, and blending until, when I step back, I’m often surprised by what emerges.

My hope is to bring beauty to the everyday and offer a quiet invitation—to connect with a feeling, recall a memory, or step into your own imagined story.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Pamela Trail is a third-generation artist and Fine Arts graduate of Colorado State University. Her passion for art was recognized early—at age 10, one of her paintings was selected to hang in the Colorado Governor’s office, a defining moment that set her path. Pamela began her creative career in graphic design, eventually becoming a creative director in the craft brewing industry and co-owner of an artisan cheesemaking business. These ventures sharpened her eye for composition and taught her to balance precision with play—a principle that continues to guide her visual style.

Now based in Boise, Idaho, painting is her way of reconnecting with instinct, imagination, and emotion. She creates vibrant, layered works in acrylic and pencil that blur the line between abstraction and realism. Her art has been featured in galleries, juried exhibitions, and businesses across the Pacific Northwest, earning multiple awards.

"Starting an art career in my 50s wasn’t the path I imagined, but it’s the one that feels right—shaped by years of life, lessons, and stories waiting to be told on canvas."