Madam Melva

Artist Statement

I think it's vital that individuals or groups who are visually creative (regardless of medium or subject matter) get the attention, love, and support they deserve, especially now. Unlike most other countries, the United States seems to care solely about profit (the bottom line) and for too long, it has slowly stifled our passion for the aesthetic arts in order to keep it from flourishing. For quite a long time, artists who draw, paint or use Photoshop are on the bottom of an invisible food chain; we are repeatedly discouraged and told that what we do is a nice hobby, but not a career or a way to get ahead. What we Americans need desperately (at least in my opinion) is a 21st century Renaissance, so that patrons and employers everywhere will not only recognize the merits of artistic expression and creativity, but will also know exactly what TO DO with it.

Biography

Pamela Torres is a happily married emerging artist currently living in New Port Richey, Florida. A Monmouth University graduate formerly from New Jersey, Pam has participated in various exhibits primarily in Carrollwood, Tampa and St. Petersburg. Rather than paint, Pam developed a knack for creating eye-popping works by juxtaposing soft pastels with colored pencil, marker, and even liquid paper. One of her first memorable moments occurred in February 2020 BC (Before COVID!), when she won 3rd place in the St. Pete Lofts' annual Valentween contest. Her "Butterfly Blessings" was judged and selected by TV horror host Dr. Paul Bearer II.
Over the next few years, she competed in various contests and exhibits online. In 2023, she was selected as a finalist in two Women in Art contests, "Wild and Free" hosted by the Blue Space Gallery, and two Art-Collide shows themed "Life, Death & Love" and "Beautiful | Grotesque." Between 2023 and 2024, Pam successfully had her art shown to wider audiences once on Influx Gallery's website and three times by the Pearview Gallery. It was also in 2024 that her stylized gothic portrait of her and her husband Bobby, titled "We Belong..." won the October spot on Cure Today's Healing Through Hues Calendar, a collection of randomly selected artworks dedicated to spreading cancer awareness.
She also earned Special Recognition on Light Space & Time's 13th "All Women" show, where 720 artists from all over the world competed. In the month of April, Pam attended the Spookala convention to give to the Boulet Brothers their own Supermonstermia fan portrait. By coincidence, this occurred over Wrestlemania weekend and Pam cleverly based the creators of the acclaimed Dragula series on the late Luna Vachon. Later in the summer, she participated in the Dunedin Fine Arts Center's 100 Women Artists exhibition by submitting "Bontecou Brahmin," her 2-dimensional tribute to famed New York sculptor Lee Bontecou. In July, Pam was picked as a finalist in Fusion Art's 7th Annual Women Artists exhibition and then she had one of her artworks accepted and posted on the Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences website.

Currently, she is selling her art through Tee Public.

Pamela's artwork was published in:
Issue #10 of ArtistCloseup magazine (September 2023)
Labyrinth Magazine by Dark Arts Studioz LTD (March 2024)
Issue #6 of Visual Art Journal (August 2024)
Infected By Art Volume 13 (scheduled for release later in 2025)
The Horror Zine (September 2025)

Interviews with Pam can be found in the following:
Bold Journey (October 2023)
CanvasRebel (January 2024)

Exhibition History (CV)