The Professional Artists of St. Augustine (PAStA) Fine Art Gallery, 214 Charlotte St., St. Augustine, has announced that member Pamela Geiger is the featured artist for April. Her plein air oil paintings of local architecture and the surrounding coastal areas are on display in the front room of the gallery.
Born in Ohio, Geiger’s fascination with art and sailing came into her life early. As a child, she sailed with her family on the Great Lakes during the summer months. Drawing also become a consistent presence in her life, starting with the familiar and eventually moving into drawing boats and harbors.
Geiger worked in Cleveland while caring for her small family, but after an especially brutal winter, she decided to pack up and head west for California. After a stint in L.A., she was on the move again, this time heading north to Mendocino County. During the turbulent and often creative ‘70s, she worked the land, worked in a print shop, raised animals and lived in a Native American teepee. Combining her interests in animal husbandry, textiles and herbology, she started a home business of offering naturally dyed wool and batiks.
It wasn’t until she was back East, working as an X-ray tech in a hospital on Nantucket, that her interest in pursuing art as a potential profession struck hard. She worked during the day and read art books, practiced with materials at night, and visited many museums during her time off. She continued her self-education when a move to Cambridge, Maryland, brought her into contact with the artist and owner of Troika Gallery in Easton, Maryland.
Finally settling in St. Augustine in the ‘80s, Geiger’s artistic journey blossomed. The Ancient City, during that time, had seen better days, but its charm captivated Geiger. She set up a studio in an old, dilapidated Victorian (now known as the Collector Bed & Breakfast). She placed her art in a gallery on Anastasia Island, and in an effort to get her work seen downtown, she applied to, and was accepted by PAStA Fine Art Gallery. When an opportunity opened on Aviles Street, she and several other artists opened the Aviles Street Art Gallery.
The wanderlust bug bit Geiger again, and she and her husband, Andy, took to the sea in their 28-foot sailboat, “Grace,” and sailed around the Caribbean for nine years before settling back on land. She has since returned to PAStA, where she draws from her inspiring life to fill canvases with the beauty of Northeast Florida’s unique architecture and breathtaking land and seascapes.
For more on Pam Geiger, plein air artist, go to pastagalleryart.com or facebook.com/pastaartgallery Facebook page. Her work can be seen at pamelageiger.com.
The Professional Artists of St. Augustine Fine Art Gallery was founded in 1982 by Jean Wagner Troemel, a champion of the arts, founder of the Winter Haven Ridge Art Association, served on the Florida Arts Group Board and spearheaded St. Augustine’s First Friday Art Walks. The gallery has served an international clientele a wealth of local talent and award-winning artists. The gallery’s mission is to showcase local and regional art and to educate and encourage area artists.
