Pamela Wolfe b. 1950
Works
-
Pamela WolfeCultivated, 2025Oil on linen125 x 130 cm -
Pamela WolfeExuberant, 2025Oil on linen120 x 130 cm
-
Pamela WolfeNight Garden, 2025Oil on linen130 x 150 cm
-
Pamela WolfeRampant, 2025Oil on linen115 x 110 cm
-
Pamela WolfeUngardening, 2025Oil on linen130 x 145 cm
-
Pamela WolfeUnruly, 2025Oil on linen120 x 120 cm
-
Pamela WolfeMixed Flowers with Striped Tulips, 2023Oil on linen105 x 170 cm
-
Pamela WolfeDark Orchid, 2023Oil on linen115 x 130 cm
-
Pamela WolfeEntangled, 2023Oil on linen115 x 135 cm
-
Pamela WolfeLate Summer Echinacea and Zinnias, 2023Oil on linen95 x 135 cm
-
Pamela WolfeTropical 2, 2023Oil on linen95 x 160 cm
-
Pamela WolfeVariation, 2023Oil on linen120 x 115 cm
-
Pamela WolfeZinnia, Sunflower and Hydrangea, 2022Gouache on paper32 x 36 cm
Biography
Pamela Wolfe exhibition
Pamela Wolfe was born in England in 1950 and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of three. She studied at Elam School Fine Arts, Auckland University from 1968 to 1971, graduating with a Diploma of Fine Arts.
After completing her studies Wolfe moved to Christchurch with her husband Richard and daughter Emily, where she had her first solo exhibition at the Labyrinth Gallery in 1976. Wolfe and her family returned to Auckland in 1977 and she has continued to exhibit regularly over the past forty eight years.
Over her long career, Wolfe’s subject matter has varied from highly coloured representations of the local landscape, to detailed still-life studies and then on to what she is so widely known for today – her larger than life, richly textured paintings of flowers over their life cycles. The subtle technique in which Wolfe portrays the fragility of these specimens has been honed over nearly twenty years and highlights the transient nature of beauty.
The contrast of the sumptuous blooms and foliage against the black (and more recently, the grey) textured backgrounds from which they emerge, gives an extravagant sensuality to the works and references Dutch still-life painting of the 17th century. The motif is also suggestive of the rich soil from where the delicate blossoms begin their lives. Wolfe enlarges the flowers to fill the picture plane and enhances the feeling of seeing these blooms from a butterfly’s perspective.
Wolfe's works can be found in corporate, private and public collections throughout New Zealand - and in private collections in Australia, UK and USA.
Wolfe has been represented by ARTIS since 1998.
Exhibitions
-
October Selection
20 October - 4 November 2025Read more -
Pamela Wolfe
Force of Nature 7 - 20 October 2025Read more -
Pamela Wolfe
The Entangled Bank 6 - 26 November 2023'It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling...Read more -
Pamela Wolfe
Transplant 21 June - 10 July 2022In the first instance, ‘Transplant’ refers to the activities of early botanists, such as Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander, who sailed on Cook’s Endeavour and collected exotic species previously unknown to Europe. At the same time the establishment of botanical gardens promoted scientific understanding and enabled the public to experience at first-hand, the wonderment and diversity of nature. ‘Transplant’ also refers to my moving house and, after 38 years, having to establish a new garden and studio. On this occasion I created a small urban meadow of randomly scattered wildflowers. The resulting blooms have attracted bees, butterflies and other insects, continuing the natural cycle and adding further to the enjoyment of our flora and fauna.Read more -
Pamela Wolfe
Florophilia 12 May - 7 June 2020“Right now is a critical time for Nature and the continuous cycling of life. The urgent regeneration of plants provides us with essentials for survival, purifying and pollinating our world....Read more -
Pamela Wolfe
Fantasia 6 - 25 November 2018Pamela Wolfe is regarded as one of New Zealand’s pre-eminent painters and is renowned for her beautiful vibrant canvases of large flowers. In previous years, Wolfe’s floral portraits made clear...Read more
