Dear Life, Today ends the semester and we have final critiques. I’ve had a productive four months in my campus studio. Daily practice of making art produced over a 150 paintings, collages, and drawings: two books of 30 paintings each, two exhibits including the Inside/Out Project. Now I am moving into a new theme: We Are Nature, We Are Wonder. I am grateful and happy to be an artist.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink, Watercolor Crayon & Salt on Mineral Paper 05.01.2026
Dear Life, My mother asked me in 2012, after my father’s death, to please find her first grandchild. I had searched for decades for Tracy, my daughter, born in 1968 and released for adoption. January 14th, 2020, hours after I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma, Tracy connected with me through Ancestry: our DNA was a match. Fifty years of mother love surged through me, giving me the strength to heal. Rose met Tracy in 2021, her wish granted. She died at 94 years old in 2024. This is Tracy and Rose. Bless all the beautiful mothers in my family and the world. Thank you for all the miracles in my life!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Dear Life, I was up at 6:30am and scraping ice off windshield. After a 14 minute drive, I was at Xray Associates where I laid still in a dark room with intravenous dye injection for an hour. Then at 8:30am, into the tube for the PetScan. Report will hopefully be ready by Friday. I have bloodwork and see oncologist on Tuesday. Hightailed it home for coffee and breakfast. Now go to campus studio for a few hours. Feels good to have scan behind me.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink on Mineral Paper 04.22.2026
Dear Life, I have a case of nervousness. Six month PetScan is Wednesday at 7:00am. Ramping up to scans/tests then waiting for results is always bumpy. Challenge is to stay present and not to project. I feel healthy as a result of taking good care of my body, mind, and spirit. However, every cancer patient knows this dance: the Jitterbug. I put my hand in God’s and paint while bouncing around.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink on Mineral Paper 04.22.2026
Acrylic Ink on Yupo Paper 04.20.2026
Dear Life, Woke with a mind full of thought tendrils. I reached for my daily spiritual reading: LET GO, LET GOD. Ah, that helped me to go from mind-full to mindful.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink on Yupo Paper 03.24.2026
Dear Life, Painting helps me to identify root causes of feelings. My Spirit guides me through the journey of grief: loss of loved ones, life changes, and losses due to disease, cancer. Grief can come unannounced and take a seat at the table. It sits there quietly until I notice its shadow. Sorrow. Sadness. Pain. Anxiety. Fear.
Grief whispers, “Come sit with me. Do not be afraid. I am a part of you. I am seeking comfort and companionship. Do not abandon me. Be with me. Together we can heal.”
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink on Yupo Paper 03.19.2026
Dear Life, It is a powerful time, seasonally, spiritually, politically, globally. The winds of spring are stirring up my creative juices and need to center in the moment. On Easter morning, I painted this watercolor. There is new growth, buds blooming, people embracing their loved ones, traditions, and praying for peace in the face of wars with far-reaching affects. May we give one another much needed moments of connectedness.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Watercolor on Paper 04.05.2026
Dear Life, Wherever you may be, whoever you may be with, whatever you may be doing, however you may be feeling, please live with heart. My heart to yours on this new day.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose
Acrylic Ink on Paper 03.18.2026
Pamela Rose Markoya 