Pamelina

By: Carolina Jones

Haunted by paintings of other-worldly mermaids, mermen, flying elephants, tricked out custom guitars and other colorful flights of fancy; we decided to speak to the creator of these visions.

 Pamelina H. comes from a long line of artists and has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember. Her first illustration was published in the fan pages of Vampirella Magazine when she was only 10. Inspired and encouraged, she set her sights on becoming a commercial artist. She's worked within the music industry since the mid-80's by creating artwork for cds, tour merchandise,
concert laminates and charity giveaways. She's also painted musical instruments for people like Davey Johnstone, Motley Crue, Mick Fleetwood, Sheila E., Soundgarden and many others. To date, she's painted over 2000 guitars for Fender, Ibanez, Dean, B.C. Rich and others. She's painted murals on motorcycles, helmets and cars for Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Neil, Brent Stait and many fine men & women of the police and fire department, from Los Angeles to New York Behold...we give you...Pamelina! 

UTM - You paint like a rock star...ever have musical aspirations?

 

Pamelina - I played musical instruments, but can't say that I ever had aspirations. I was so focused on painting, there wasn't room for anything else.

 

UTM - What mediums do you prefer to create with?

 

Pamelina - I prefer acrylics. It dries quickly which allows me to work quickly. With the applications that I most commonly work in being guitars & motorcycles, the lack of solvents in acrylics makes it the most trouble-free to paint to topcoat with polyurethane.

 

UTM - What do you take into consideration when creating works for your clients?

 

Pamelina - There are so many things... Is it a personal or business purchase, first of all. If it's personal, I'll ask several questions about them such as favorite colors, activities, songs and art style. If it's business, then it's up to me to find out how the art will be used. Different techniques must be used to create the best art for the purpose.

 

UTM - Can you give us some background on the long line of artists that you come from?

 

Pamelina - First is my mother. I grew up with the smells of turpentine and mineral spirits. She encouraged me to paint from the start. An ancestor of mine well-known for his work is Hakob Hovnatanian, a premier Armenian artist whose art hangs in the State Art Gallery of Armenia.

 

UTM - How did you get into painting musical instruments? And can you remember the first instrument you worked on?

 

Pamelina - The first instrument I painted was a guitar. I knew several bands in the San Francisco East Bay area and the guitar player in The Persuaders asked me to paint his guitar. The Persuaders also sported my first painted drum head, too. It grew quickly from there.

 

UTM - What would you like most for us to know about the woman behind the creations?

 

Pamelina - It’s always been my goal to add beauty to the world. I'm passionate about what I do. It's what defines me.

 

UTM - Your favorite subjects to create?

 

Pamelina - People have always been my favorite subjects. Capturing an emotion on canvas is very challenging and very rewarding.

 

UTM - What inspires your more fantasy type works of art?

 

Pamelina - I've always been fascinated with astronomy and the possibilities of what is out there. As a child, I could feel a different skin around me that was not the same shape as I had, which led me to believe I was an alien. This naturally led me to explore the world of science fiction. Books offer me great inspiration. I also have vivid dreams which are a source to pull from. Sometimes it's just wistful thinking.

 

UTM - Any plans for a book of your own that showcases your art?

 

Pamelina - Funny you should ask. I began plans for putting together a book just today.

 

UTM - What's the most awkward thing about being interviewed?

 

Pamelina - Trying not to sound like an idiot. I express myself better through paint.

 

UTM - What do you do to unplug from the canvas?

 

Pamelina - I'll relax by working in my garden which I consider painting with flowers or by adding some artistic detail in my house. When watching the Lakers play, I'm completely unplugged.

 

UTM - Where can we go to view and purchase your art?

 

Pamelina - Pamelina.com is the best place to view and purchase art prints or to commission an art piece. My guitar artwork is available in music stores around the world. I'll very soon have images available for downloading to mobile devices.

 

UTM - What are you working on currently?

 

Pamelina - Artwork for Sturgis Bike Week and several custom-painted guitars. There are always tons of projects and ideas at any given time. To list them all would take too long!

 

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