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Artist Spotlight: Pamela Guzman
Pamela Guzman (she/her) is a Richmond-based visual artist, poet, and member of VisArts’ Spring/Summer 2026 cohort of Studio Access Residents.
After leaving art school, Pamela needed to rediscover her relationship with art-making. Since then, she has had the opportunity to continue her arts education and reclaim her identity as an artist here at VisArts. Pamela’s work often reflects on her experience as a child of immigrants, and she enjoys incorporating elements of collage and text into her pieces. Her recent works combine discarded prints, thrifted tarot cards, and other ephemera, giving them new life and meaning.
We caught up with Pamela in VisArts’ Letterpress studio partway through her residency to learn more about her creative journey and what piques her curiosity as an artist.
What was your first interaction with VisArts?
It was post-pandemic, I believe. I had gone through this period where I didn’t want to create anything because I had chosen to leave art school and was grieving that part of me. I fell into this way of thinking that the only way for me to be considered an “artist” was through the university space. I eventually missed it and was ready to come to creating on my own terms.
What are you working on during your residency?
I’ve been exploring different techniques and practices that I’ve never tried before. I have noticed myself leaning towards projects that require more of a “process” than I’m used to, like letterpress and linocut. It makes the final product all that more rewarding when you have to be methodical about how you get there. It’s teaching me patience, for sure, and it’s been rewarding to just keep continuing my art education.
How were you drawn to the medium(s) you work in?
I’m drawn towards collage materials because it can be such a meditative process. There is almost a lack of pressure because the images are already there; you’re not completely starting from scratch like in painting or drawing. I often find that it’s a good gateway to creating if I go through a period where I am feeling uninspired.
As junk journaling becomes popular, it’s been fun to include little things like boarding passes and movie tickets into my collages. Or if I mess up a print, I don’t toss it out anymore because I know eventually I’ll incorporate it into a collage.
Through VisArts, I’ve also been able to explore poetry more, which I’ve incorporated into my visual art.
What are some of your sources of inspiration?
I would say I’m often inspired by whatever book I am reading at the time and my favorite musical artists.
What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer?
I hope my work helps to inspire and facilitate self-reflection and experimentation.
Learn more about Pamela + her work: @xguzman_santosx