Pamela started painting as a ten-year-old, when her mom enrolled her in an adult art class. Her dad taught her how to draw on paper napkins after dinner. Decades later, her artwork expanded from individual paintings to include participatory art with a focus on healing and resilience. Drawing on Pamela’s own journey towards restoration, following…
A decade ago, a group of beautiful women from Congo caught my attention with their brightly colored dresses. When I went over to meet them. I introduced myself as an artist. Immediately, their American sponsor asked if I would be willing to paint their portraits and tell their stories for ArtPrize. This yearly art event…
Jetta’s Story One of my Congolese friends, whom I’ll call Jetta, is a true woman of courage. Her story, as well as the stories of several other refugees, inspired my work called Courage Ablaze. This vignette tells part of her amazing story of courage in the face of life-threatening situations: Jetta and her children fled…
My definition of being a human who cares about her world began to change in 2011, when I collided with Josephine and other Congolese refugees living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time, my knowledge of Congo didn’t extend beyond a country located on the map. For the next year, I began to research Congo’s…
After posting Sabina’s story and image a few months ago, my friend Laurie asked me to paint another Congolese work. But Laurie’s request posed two challenges for me. The first challenge was to paint a watercolor painting. Four years ago, I had tucked away my watercolor paints—partly in frustration with my watercolor work at the…
In November, twenty-five Courage Ablaze paintings—highlighting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s genocide and massive-scale rape—were donated to various West Michigan refugee non-profits. I would like to thank Marvin Veltkamp for making the donations possible. Marvin, and his wife, Joy, serve the African refugees here in America and in Africa—where they have started a sustainable farm…
Before retiring my Courage Ablaze Collection—a collection of twenty-five paintings highlighting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s genocide and massive-scale rape—I would like to introduce you to a dear Congolese friend whom I’ll call Jetta. Jetta and her children fled into Uganda as gunfire broke out near their home. Trying to save the lives of her…