The work of Pamela Burgess is motivated by a fascination with nature and its materials, and a reverence for craftsmanship.

Currently, she is producing a body of work titled Radiant Light: Shadow Drawings and Sculpture of California Native Plants. Rendered in graphite, printed acrylics and textiles, each work represents the shadow cast by a botanical and captures a moment in time - the transitory nature of life. They are intended to express a kind of serenity similar to a direct experience of nature.

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Burgess's early career was in graphic arts. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, she opened a design and illustration studio with a partner in Boston that received numerous awards from The Ad Club of Boston.

Upon relocating to Chicago, she began her career as a fine artist. Her interest in sculpture and photography led to the development of large-scale tape installations of abstract landscapes, and a series of Polaroid works on light. She participated in a number of group shows including Proposals for Lake Sculptures at the Evanston Art Center and Wall/Floor Installations at N.A.M.E. Gallery.

During the late 1980’s Burgess established a custom metal fabrication business in Los Angeles, where she continues to reside. Her sculptures in steel and stone led to a fine furniture line, a large-scale sculpture commission in downtown Los Angeles, and exhibitions at Occidental College and The Art Rental and Sales Gallery of LACMA. 2007 shows of her drawings included Metro Gallery, Los Angeles, and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson.

In 2008 Burgess was named the first Artist-in-Residence of Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants in Sun Valley, California. In 2010 she was awarded a Durfee Foundation ARC grant. A solo exhibition of her shadow sculpture is scheduled to open October 1, 2010 at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, California.

Burgess is also active in the Community. In 2007 she was appointed by the City of Los Angeles to the Elysian Park Master Plan Oversight Committee. The following year she co-chaired a workshop on art and nature at the Los Angeles conference, Re-Enchanting The City Conference V, Global Climate Change: The Impact On Wildlife and Wild Lands. In 2010 Burgess was named to the Board of Directors of Theodore Payne Foundation.