Pam Burnley-Schol

Gold is a paradox,  It is a mineral- solid, weighty, and of the earth; yet it is luminous and shimmers with a slublime glow.  And while it radiates from the pages of medieval manuscripts, symbolizing the light of God, it also lies hidden in the dark vaults of Fort Knox, embodying material wealth.  Pam's images exploit this duality.  Rendering naturalistic images of birds and flowers in 24k gold leaf, she explores the intersection between our perceptions of material and spiritual reality.  The figures appear solid, lifelike, and easily recognizable.  Mockingbirds preen, hawks soar, oak leaves fall, and irises bloom.  But the same forms also appear weightless and abstract, as the flat gold leaf shines and reflects light out from the surface of the works, as Pam describes them, these images are secular icons that express her understanding that the world is an elegant blend of the corporeal and the ethereal.