Pamela and Joelle Gillette — Mother-Daughter Painting Partners, Best Friends

“What’s better than to be able to create art with my Mom? She’s my best friend,” said Joelle Gillette of her mother Pamela Gillette.

Like many working islanders, Joelle has had different kinds of jobs in dog breeding, in real estate, in construction. Joelle says she’s still trying to figure out what exactly she wants to do in life, but it’s clear she’s also very open to the journey her mom chose — the journey of an artist.

Pamela Gillette is the embodiment of patience and wisdom. Her painting and colored pencil work is photo-realistic, but better. A subtle symmetry — a subtle perfection — is added to the scene she paints. But she rejects being called an expert painter. “It’s not a destination; it’s a journey,” she says in a genuinely humble voice. She’s happy to give input to Joelle when Joelle feels stuck, but Pamela’s motherly instinct is to use a light touch so as to not squelch her daughter’s creative voice.

“Mom gives wonderful insight — I’m very lucky. I have an in-house teacher,” said Joelle with gratitude.

Painting and drawing is deeply spiritual for Pamela. Her subject is usually an animal, and the animal’s eyes will get more attention than anything else. Windows to the soul, she says.

Not surprisingly, it’s been suggested Pamela teach. “We’ve talked about it,” she told CNL2. “You know when it’s the right time, and when it’s just not. Right now, I think not. But it is something we’ve noodled over.”

Pamela and Joelle can be found at nearly every San Juan Island Farmers’ Market. In the corner in the back of Brickworks, in the corner nearest where the sculpture pig is outside. Their booth offers scores, perhaps hundreds of paintings, drawings, prints, greeting cards, decorated notepads, jigsaw puzzles, lapel pins, and more.

Pamela can be commissioned for custom paintings or pencil work. One of her few subjects that isn’t an animal, bee, or butterfly is the quirky gnome. She started making a set of three gnomes and is now up to number 18. If you want to see what your friend or lover would look like as a gnome, that is a service Pamela provides. She also has created some amazing custom pet portraits. It appears she draws every hair on a dog’s face. Again, photo-realistic, but better.

Joelle’s art is coming into its own, too. Joelle is an accomplished watercolorist. Both mother and daughter work in colored pencil and in pen and ink.

They work hard. They work almost daily. But there is also a whimsy in their process, especially when a work is completed. They give their works playful names. A Christmas card including a Washington State Ferry being pulled by a team of Orcas was named “Ferry Christmas.” A series of six paintings of native animals and birds was named “San Juan Eye Land.” The whimsical names still make Pamela chuckle.

Six years — the thing you were probably wondering. They’ve lived on San Juan Island for six years. From Connecticut to Ohio to Utah and then here.

In addition to the Farmers’ Market, mother or daughter will be showing their work at the Roche Harbor Artist Village (hut #8) daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from June 22 until Labor Day weekend 10-4, hut #8.

Pamela and Joelle are #3 on the Studio Tour on June 1st & 2nd.

This CNL2 video is approximately 51-1/2 minutes in duration.