The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to announce “Timeline”, an art exhibition featuring works by Pamela Bates at Back Hill Beer Co. in the Gonic Mill, beginning January 3, 2026.
While creating has been an integral part of Pamela Bates’ life from her earliest memories, a pivotal moment during a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston brought the greatest transformation. Standing in front of El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent was an otherworldly experience that could not be denied—taking her breath away and knocking her back across the room. A visceral epiphany.
Pamela knew that while she had been creative all her life, she had to go home and, after a 23-year career as a graphic designer and writer, begin creating in a new way: with a paintbrush. Self-taught, Pamela considers herself an intuitive abstract expressionist artist.
She is inspired by the nature that surrounds her on the New Hampshire Seacoast, where she grew up and still resides, as well as by the small moments that make life beautiful. Pamela has shown her work in Boston, in three solo exhibitions on the Seacoast, in a feature artist exhibition in Maine, and in many group shows. Her work resides in homes and private collections around the world, including Australia, Ireland, Brazil, and across the United States, as well as at the U.S. Passport Center in New Hampshire.
Pamela paints in her studio in Stratham, New Hampshire, across the street from Sunset Meadows and six miles from the Atlantic Ocean. When not painting, she encourages others to open themselves to the transformative power of art through classes and coaching.
“Timeline” will be on display until April 4, 2026, with an informal reception to be announced. Back Hill Beer Co. is located in the Gonic Mill, 73 Pickering Rd, Rochester, NH 03839. Visit www.rochestermfa.org to learn more.
The museum gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its corporate sponsors, community partners, and collaborators, including the City of Rochester, Meredith Village Savings Bank, Back Hill Beer Co., Creative Guts Podcast, and the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce.
