Creating is her passion

Pamee Hohner’s introduction to art was a paint by numbers set given to her by her grandmother at age 9. She has been making art ever since.

“I love to focus on the beauty that surrounds me; it makes me feel amazing. I am inspired by the creator of all that is good and the best artist ever,” she said. “I admire this beautiful art that I see every day and I look for it in flowers, sunsets and the stars.”

Hohner grew up in Spokane Valley. She attended West Valley High School where art came easily to her. She was also in choir and sang in a quartet. She went on to Eastern Washington University where, two quarters into her studies, a traveling group of entertainers called Up With People performed, and she jumped on board. She went to Boston and then toured with the group. After that, she sang in bands and traveled all over the U.S. Always painting, she set up her art wherever she could like on a chain link fence at the zoo in Honolulu.

She earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where she also taught voice lessons at a performance art studio. Believing that every child should have the opportunity to express themselves, she also began fundraising. She then moved to California where she worked as a fundraiser. A call from her parents brought her back to Spokane Valley.

Hohner was hired as a fundraiser at St. George’s School, bought the home where she spent her childhood, and opened an art studio in Millwood where she had art shows and taught classes. Recently she closed the studio and retired from fundraising. Now, she paints at her home in a well-lit space that was once a patio.

Working in watercolor or oils on paper, canvas, silk or glass, Hohner creates pieces filled with color. A mix of traditional and the unexpected, her latest ongoing series, “Mind is a Perpetual Motion,” began with a dream of a swirling galaxy giving birth to discernible shapes. Even her studies of laundry hanging out to dry or a bicycle contain hints of mystery.

Currently, Hohner’s work can be seen at Denise Oliver Gallery in Harrison, Idaho, and at Millwood Farmers Market every Wednesday through September from 3 to 7 p.m. On June 6, she will be featured at the MAX at Mirabeau Park Hotel from 5 to 7 p.m. during its free monthly wine and art event. On June 22 from 5 to 9 p.m. and June 23 from 11 to 5 p.m., she will be in a group show at Manic Moon Gallery, 1625 N. Monroe St.

“I am grateful for the gift of prayer that brings me to the perfect place to share my inspiration through my paintings,” she said. “Art is my life my passion, my expression for good.”