The Official website of Pam Jenner
I was born in the early sixties in Los Angeles to a very creative family. My Mom was my first creative influence. I started sewing on my own at the tender age of 9 years old. First starting with basic quilting in the more traditional patterns, then moving on to create my own. I studied sewing and fabric arts all the way through high school and afterwards went on to the famous Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in downtown Los Angeles. I left the fashion world in 1979 and married my high school sweetheart Bob. We were married on the beach in Hawaii, at Sunset. In formals, with no shoes. It was amazing.
Fast forward a couple of years and now I’m a mother! Balancing the needs of marriage, motherhood and my art was not an easy task. I continued to grow as a fabric artist by reading tons of books (you should see my library!) and taking a lot of great classes from a bevy of wonderful instructors. I honor their teachings by incorporating many of their techniques into my works, in my own ways (using the techniques to build my imaginative toolbox).
Color and texture have always been very important to me, but as I started making art pieces for specific people, I began to connect them with the symbols of their life and the things that are important to them. This use of symbology sets these pieces apart from the traditional art piece, making them unique to the individual, and their family.
I used symbology extensively in a series of 13 banners for my church, detailing the seasons of the liturgical year. They allow me to express my faith through the creative use of design, color, texture and symbols. Sometimes I could not find the fabrics that express just the right color, so I created my own by painting the fabric to suit my design.
One of my first truly unique and outside the box pieces that marked the transition for me from crafter to Artist is called Pixie. My Pixie is a wearable cape that is also a piece of wall art. If you can visualize a beautiful snow angel flying through the air, with her translucent hair flowing behind her, with snowflakes and swirling winds all around, you can get a basic idea. I used the face of my daughter and the foot of my nephew as guidance for this marvelous work. She has always been one of my favorites.
Another piece that is very important to me is one I made for my Dad. He was in the Merchant Marine, so I thought a great centerpiece for his are quilt would be a Mariner’s Compass. This is a huge piece (California King Size, to the floor). There are dancing sailors, a ships helm wheel, rope applique and on the back, quilted through the while design is a tall Ghost Ship three master schooner, all done in glow in the dark invisible thread. It’s really hard to describe this piece in words. I hope you will take some time and review the pictures.
Ever since I took Jennifer Day’s thread painting class and mastered the art of painting with thread I have been incorporating that technique into my work. The process allows the artist to render a nearly photo-realistic scene using only thread.
My husband keeps telling me that my best artistic asset is my creative process. How I turn a series of abstract ideas into a work of art. I hope that you will join me in this process as we learn about art and fabrics together. If you want to learn to sew or add to your knowledge of sewing I welcome you to my sewing family community.
Welcome to my Family