by Lisa Moore photo by Meredith Jones Photography

Seven years ago Pamela Prince was suffering from chronic medical conditions and enduring debilitating pain and insomnia. She knew deep inside the only way out of her predicament was to go within, but could have never imagined the twist her life would soon take. During a sleepless night, Prince experienced what she calls “a download from the heavens” and received an “assignment” that changed her life in unbelievable ways.

In the middle of the night, Prince, then age 50, suddenly saw her bedroom filled with beautiful paintings on easels. “I felt my hand holding the brush and stroking the wet oil paints. I could even smell the paint fumes,” says Prince, who had studied drawing in college, but had never painted. “I said to myself, ‘Dear God, you can’t be serious!’ ” Then she heard a voice, or what she calls a loud instinct, say, “I will guide you.”

The rest of the night sketches poured out of her. After a couple of practice paintings, Prince (who uses the artist name P.S. Thibodeaux) began creating Reminders, an ongoing series of allegorical paintings that contain symbolic messages about life’s lessons. She says her works are about The Law of Attraction, which refers to the idea that we create our realities through our thoughts and feelings.

Prince makes props constructed from a range of materials that the model poses with to communicate thoughts and perceptions. Representing human kind, the model’s face and hair are concealed; there is no persona. Her drapery substitutes clothing, fashion and style, while adding mystery and drama to her image.

Though the scenes are contemporary, they are painted using the old world masters’ glazing techniques. The dramatic light and darkness mimic the extreme polarity of the world in which we live. The single light source from above gives each painting its flow and depth to lead the eye while symbolizing the heavens or The Light. The paintings actually glow with luminescence in the dim lighting of a room, as if they are lit from within, reminding the viewer to also be lit from within.

Prince sees each painting in her mind’s eye before beginning anything. With 15 works under her belt, inspiration comes faster than she can finish a painting. Her greatest success, she says, has been the way her artwork touches people’s hearts. “At one of my art shows, some of the visitors were awestruck as they stood in front of my work with tears in their eyes,” she recalls.

If someone had told her 10 years ago she’d be a professional artist, Prince would have told them they were nuts. By becoming a middle-age artist that paint’s about life’s lessons, she has learned an important lesson herself: that the best part of life can be the second half and that the first half is often preparation. “Life is beautifully orchestrated and it’s never too late to follow a passion,” concludes Prince.

To view Pamela Prince’s art visit www.psthibodeaux.com.