Pamela JPamela J. Preciado (nee Wills) . Preciado (nee Wills)

Pamela J. Preciado (nee Wills) PAMELA PRECIADO is primarily a portrait and figurative artist working in oil, pastel and charcoal. 'Portraits, figures, landscapes and still life offer wonderful opportunities to explore the affects of light on a subject, revealing form and character. Studying the light, no matter the subject, is an exciting experience, enhancing the emotional qualities of a subject. The work of the early 19th and 20th century artists as John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Winslow Homer have been inspirational influences in my work.' Pamela Preciado has been painting portraits professionally for the past 40 years. Schooled in the tradition of the masters, Pamela's goal is to capture the essence of her subject using a similar approach as the masters she admires combined with her own intuitive process. Education: In her sophomore and junior years of high school, she received two summer scholarships, one to the University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, and one to the University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, where she received second place in a portrait competition. After participating in the Glenview Annual Art Fair in Glenview, IL since the age of 10 years old and the youngest exhibitor that year, Pamela went on to earn her college tuition for her freshman year at the University of Kansas by sketching fair-goers with her Quick-Sketch Portraits that she does for community and corporate special events. She was also the exclusive portrait artist creating her Quick-Sketch Portraits for the Babies 'R' Us Stores in Naperville, Schaumburg and Lombard, IL, 3 suburban stores, for 6 years. Her Douthart Scholarship Award in her sophomore year at KU allowed he to pursue her studies in fine art and commercial illustration. Pamela also studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and the San Francisco Academy of Fine Art, San Francisco, CA, as well as the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago, where she has been a member for last 9 years. There she has studied extensively with William A. Schneider, Scott Tallman Powers, Clayton Beck, III, and Diane K. Rath, four local portrait and landscape and still life master painters. She also studied with such contemporary national and international masters such as John Howard Sanden, Burton Silverman and Daniel Greene. Exhibitions: Chicago, IL: Quaker Oats Corporation; Booth Fisheries of Consolidated Foods Corporation; The Park Ridge Historical Society, Park Ridge, IL, including a portrait of Winston Churchill; The Ambassador West Hotel, The La Petite Gallery, her own gallery in Park Ridge, from 1972-1974, DeKalb Ag Research Corporation, DeKalb, IL; The Oak Lawn Library, Oak Lawn, IL. San Francisco, CA: The Joseph Alioto Art Gallery, California's Macys Department Stores, where Pamela's portraits of wild African animal prints were marketed, distributed and sold state-wide; The Wells Fargo Bank Headquarters History Room, featuring a group of portraits, 'The Wild West' including Wild Bill Hicock, Black Bart, Mark Twain and Jesse James; and the Mark Hopkins Hotel's Godfrey Gallery. Most Recently, Pamela's portraits will be included in a group show in New York in April 1 through April 26th, 2011 at the Amsterdam Whitney International Art Inc., a museum/gallery in the heart of Chelsea, the 'epicenter of the New York and the International Art Scene'. Online Galleries: AmericanFineArt.com, PamelaPreciadoFineArt.com, Collectrium.com, CACOnline.com, the Chicago Artists Coalition website of which Pamela has been a member for 27 years, Who's Who in American Art, Who's Who of American Women, and International Who's Who, where she was designated as Premiere Member in 2010. She was just honored by the National Association of Professional Women as 'Woman of the Year for 2010-2011'. Corporate Collections: Booth Fisheries of Consolidated Foods Corporation, Chicago, IL; DeKalb Ag Research Corporation, DeKalb, IL; The Edward A. Meindl, II Insurance Agency, Inc., LaGrange Park, IL; The Wells Fargo Bank Headquarters History Room, San Francisco, CA; The National Women’s History Museum, Washington, DC, (currently waiting for Congressional approval for a building site on the Capitol Hill Campus); The US Congressional Black Caucus, Washington, DC. Memberships: The Portrait Society of America, Inc., Tallahassee, FL, founding member, 9 years; The Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, IL, member 9 years; The Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago, IL, member 27 years; The National Women’s History Museum, Washington, DC, member 15 years; The National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, member 8 years; The Chicago Chapter of The National Pastel Society, Chicago, IL, member 4 years; The Chicago Chapter of The Women’s Caucus for Art, member 3 years. Recent Projects: 3 Portrait Montages of the US Congress in 1996; Currently, 'Portraits of Great American Women Achievers, Inc., an non-profit traveling exhibition of 50 the nations' most accomplished women to launch in 2 years, traveling to 16 venues around the country; the selection of these women is based on their outstanding achievements in their fields and their contributions to humanity. The project research began in 2003. Pamela Preciado joined Fine Art America on March 1st, 2011. Visitation Monday, June 22nd from 3 until 8 p.m. Chapel service Tuesday, June 23rd, 10:00 a.m. at the KERRY FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CARE CENTER, 7020 W. 127th Street, Palos Heights proceeding to Fairmount Willow Hills Cemetery for graveside prayers.