Pamela Wilde on Portraits, Veterans & the Art of Oil

Wendy & Rich 0:00
Hey, everyone is rich-bendip. Can you believe it? The show is turning 10 this year. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who've tuned in, shared a episode, or even joined the conversation over the years. You're the reason that this podcast has grown into what it is today. Together, we've shared laughs, tears, tears, and moments that truly matter. So I want to thank you for being part of this journey. Let's make the next 10 years even better. Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios, Harvard County Living Presence, conversations with rich-bendip, 

but no, it's not. 

Rich & Pam 1:00
I'm joined today by a local artist that is simply amazing. 

And has a love for veterans, loves portraits, and strictly oil painting. Well, no, I don't want to say strictly oil painting because you're doing the class. That's a little bit of watercolour. So we have a painting of a wild one, actually, I'm just going to start there. Why is oil your favorite? You know, it's actually very forgiving medium, so if something doesn't work out, you can wipe it right off. I'm still learning. You can't do that of watercolour? Watercolour is a difficult medium. Really? You can't scrub it back out. You work opposite of an oil painting, too. Okay. So you have to protect your whites in watercolour because you don't have white in watercolour. You only have the white surface of the paint. So if you cover that white surface with color, you're never going to get back to that true white again, unless you put an opaque paint on it, then it's not really considered watercolour. They have a lot of rules in watercolour. It's weird because when you paint your house, the inside of your house, you're always told to use water based paint instead of oil because it's easier. I thought they said it because it's easier to clean. Or maybe oil's easier to clean, but you can't get rid of the oil paint. Oil paint, though, you can use oil paint. I have oil paint like I did outdoor furniture one. Right. Did I paint it 30 years ago, and it still looks pretty, I would have to raise the paint. If it was rotten then okay. Oil based paint is more of a waste longer. Yeah, these are going to look 100 years from now. They're going to look the same. So here's the thing I did when I did the portraits I have in the greatest. I invited people to come sit for me for three hours. And I had to figure out a way to just cover my materials. So the deal was, I actually got people paying me $50 to come sit for me for three hours. Wow. And return there was no obligation to buy the painting because I understand portraits, either you love them or you hate them. A lot of people were like, "Oh, I don't look that way." That's fine. They weren't commission portraits. They were painted to my satisfaction. Oh, okay. But in return for participating, I promised them all a print at the opening reception. So they all got prints of the paintings. Oh, okay. And I think for a lot of people if you're not artists, they don't know the difference between a print and an original. Right. Whereas the prints are going to fade over time. They're going to end up in the dump. Well, you can't. I don't want to touch the art. You can touch it. It's farnished. How's it going to say? Because if the print you're not going to feel. You're not going to see the brush work in it here. The prints are maybe good for 10 years before they start to start. And the thing is too. Like, I had them all framed and stuff. When you buy a print and you say you want to frame it, you're going to spend just as much framing it. Oh, frames are expensive, yeah. As the original. I was like, "Have you original?" All right, so those people that are listening. Yeah, who's Pitrami hanging up? This, whose picture am I hanging up right now? This is Bill Martin. Yup. The Mayor of Heavieries, right? Okay. I say, how long did it take to do this? So they had to come in and sit for me for three hours. Right? And I would get the painting. I wish I could finish them in three hours, but... I was gonna see. I had a good start on them, and then I shot photo references while they were with me. Okay. And then I would go home and and tighten them up. There was one young man in the show. I painted four children from the same family. Oh wow. That was hilarious because it was a six-year-old, an eight-year-old, a 13-year-old, and the 13... I painted the little girl first, and she was...how it areas. Just a funny little girl, and fearless. And she sat for me and I was like, 'I asked her, how did you get to be the first one in your family to be painted?' She goes, 'Oh, we were all fighting!' And then my mom made this flip-point and I won! And her mother came in to drop her off, and she brought all the siblings with her. And she hops in the chair, and she's telling her mom to leave the gallery and her brothers and sisters, 'Come back in three hours, when we're done, you can go, no, mom, I'm fine!' But I painted her, and her painting came well, I'm fine, and I shot the references and finished them. When I painted her 13-year-old brother, he sat for me. Same thing, my mom caught them off and everyone laughed. And about an hour and a half from the painting, something just joked on my canvas, I put a brush drop down, and I'm like, 'Holy cow, I got him. Stop!' And I pray it is a name. I'll call him Jason, just for example. Jason, call your mom, I think we're done. He's like, 'What do you mean, we're done?' It's supposed to be a three-hour session, we can't be done. 

And I say, 'No, I don't want to mess with it, because you can take a painting too far and ruin it.' Right. I'm trying to trust that little voice in your head, trust my gut instincts, I'm done. 

What's my brush drop? 

Well, it wasn't one. I mean, I had been working for an hour and a half on the painting, but something in that hour and a half... That one stroke that you hit..., I got him. I said, 'Call your mom. So he calls his mom, she comes in, she walks around the easel, looks at the painting and she starts to cry. Wow. 

I trusted that little voice in my head, and I asked her what touched her about it. She said, 'At that age where he's turning into a teenager, but he's still my little boy. 

Oh, wow. 

And I pulled her heart stirring that day and it felt good, and I trusted my gut instinct, and I knew I had to stop. Well, he's probably one of the few that God had done in an hour and a half. 

Wow. Alright, you see, they sit down for three hours, and then how much longer afterwards? 

So I would generally take a home that evening, and probably another eight to ten hours into them. 

Holy Cass, I was 13 hours for one portrait. 

Mm-hmm. And I was doing three or four of them a week. 

Whoa! And you didn't have many that year? 

I 120. 

120? 

Yeah. It was a great year. I learned so much that year. And not only did I learn more about painting, but I learned about people. And I was thinking about your conversations. I got to have conversations with people I would have never met. 

You learned a lot too, don't you? 

It was amazing. 

And I got to meet them on my terms from behind the easel. 

Oh. 

They have been. That sounds like a podcast behind the easel! 

Oh, wow. 

That was a lot of-- Yeah, so how long have you actually been painting? Let me rephrase that. How have you been doing portraits? 

Well, yeah, I did my first self-teen. 

And I have it at home. I had done portrait, self-portraits, like once in my life. So my first home was at 14. I started painting when I was about 12. So that's a lot of start to. My mother had been an artist. And I remember it was August of 1975. And I was bored out of my skull and I convinced my mom to buy this little oil painting kit for me. They came with a 12 by 16 panel, little tubes of paint, some brushes. And she bought it for me and I got home and I had never painted before. And my mother just left me on my own. She went back in the house. So I sat down in front of my house and I started sketching out the house and the paints. And I got the front door drawn in and the garden and this and that. But when it actually came kind of paint, I didn't know what to do. And it was like in gray to flip it into the woods. And my mother must have sense my frustration. She came outside, she sat down next to me, she grabbed the palette knife. She grabbed some paint, she showed me how to mix a beautiful green. Then she took the palette knife and she showed me how to paint the IV on the house using paint. And got me started and then she went back in the house and I finished that painting by myself. But her hand is in it, my hand is in it. And I still have that painting and the sad thing is about two months later she passed away. After that painting? Right inside that front door. Wow. So I still have that painting, that's the most valuable painting I own. Right. It's unsigned but it's my mother and me and-- Priceless. And yeah. And I told my husband, the house is overrun, fire leave all the other paintings, just get that one. Wow. But, yeah. So I still go back to that painting and think about that lesson she gave. You mentioned something, you said you sketched it out first. Is that enormous? I'm using paint, yeah. Oh, you sketched it out with paint. Yeah. Okay, I thought you made you drew it out. Yeah. Well, some some artists draw out their painting. On the canvas. Yeah. I thought you made like you drew it on a piece of paper then you were-- I had to draw this and I dipped the brush in a little bit of paint and I was just so sketching out the-- Can you tell I don't paint? Some people draw out their-- 

I've always been amazed by-- I mean I used to love drawing. Now I can't even draw a stick man. But I used to love-- my father got into oil painting and I still got some of his paintings. Of course he loved Bob Ross. Another Rob Ross. Who does it, yeah? Bob was a great engineer. That's how my father learned. 

Of course, he loved doing the nautical stuff. Okay. And I have all that. But he just looked at-- did you go to school too for art? So I went to the American Academy of Art. I graduated from there in 1983, with a degree. So when I wanted to go to art school, I really wanted to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. Okay. And I probably didn't have the grades for it. And then my dad was like, no, if you're going to go to art school, American Academy of was more of a commercial art school. And back in the 80s, they weren't really teaching drawing and fundamentals over at the Art Institute. Okay. American Academy of Art was very-- you know, it was commercial art. So I was learning commercial art design, logo design. But also part of my curriculum was that I had life drawing every day, which is really a valuable-- learn how to draw. We had life-making models every day, three hours. A model had to sit there naked for three hours? Yeah. Yeah, I wouldn't do that. They got paid well. Well, I would hope so. Holy cow. That's professional models. Hey, they offer a very valuable service. You learn your anatomy. Yeah, but still they sit there for three hours. Well, they take a break. They give them breaks every 20, 25 minutes. They take a break. I hope they weren't doing that in the winter time. Oh my god. Imagine if the heat broke. They kept a studio warmer. Yeah, but then he broke it. Wouldn't it be warm enough? I mean, no, not for me. Not for-- So that was good training. 

Did Ellis-- 

right. -- work for a 

newspaper as an artist or as a writer? Worked in their composing room. No, I worked in the composing room doing key line paste-up and doing all the ads. I got in good with the editorial department. They found out I also-- Okay. It was 

great. They would give me the copy and come up with some ideas and make some art. Oh wow. That was fun. I'm surprised you didn't become, like, a-- Children's Village Bill Australia for books or something. Well, it's a different type of art, though. It is a different kind of stuff, a whole different thing. So when you went to school for art, do you also learn like the history? We did have-- we were all studio. Really? I didn't get a lot of art history. So that's probably where I'm trying to catch-- Okay. Because I mean, I just-- Like I was talking to somebody, and they were talking about the history of oil paints and how it came about. And I was just-- Starts with-- Oh, yeah. Kind of a client all that or whatever. 

So besides that first painting, and I know there can't be just one, but what are some of the most memorable paintings that you've done? Not necessarily portraits, but paintings that you've done that really just-- 

It's one you would have a hard time getting rid of. Oh, I know I did one during I did a few during Cologne Well probably you did have nothing else to do. So yeah, so I was really lonely during childhood and I couldn't have them well I actually did have come to see. 

But I bought myself a mannequin and I dressed it up and I had so my mother was like that's a hell of an idea though. I dress so I have this beautiful a thwinging dress cup 

costume. I have it so I dressed up 

costume and 

I dress and it represents my hair. 

I almost sold it. I got into it. It got into a show, a figurative show of it. You do a beautiful figurative and it got 

excited. I did have a-- I'd never shown it. Dean of their international studies, like within five minutes of the show opening. How much? And I was like a deer in the headlight. So I was like, oh no, you don't know. And I think he kind of sensed I didn't want to let it. Really? Wow. And then after that, I said, you know, I-- 

I'll paint it again maybe for somebody they want. I wouldn't mind doing a whole series of ethnic paintings but beautiful. From other heritages. That would be pretty. It's speaking of series because you have the portrait series here which was make sure I get it right, 120 portraits in a year. Alright now with a challenge, you got to 120 and 120 days. God, well, you killed me. Was this the toughest one you've done so far as far as a series? Yeah, this was probably my most ambitious project I've ever taken on. Not just the painting part of it, business part of it, trying to organize it. I was a one man band. Right. 

Oh, he has the website too. 

Now are all these on your website? Yes, they are. They're not on the website. So they showed it, Gailer, or there was art symposium at the time. And then they went down to the World Trade Center in Baltimore. Yes. And then COVID hit. So they were shown online through the Maryland Hall down in Annapolis. Oh. And that was that. Oh, you just gave me an idea. Okay, so this, and I love this idea. This is awesome. Tell everybody, for those of you listening to "Can't See I'm Holding Up A Portrait Of a pair of Combat Boots," actually, the Desert Boots, that Pam Painted, explained everybody what this is and why you're doing this. Okay, so I started it. So I found that I do better if I work in series. So I started another project called Boots on the Ground. And I did painting combat boots. And with each, you know, each time I paint them, there's like another story that comes up, whether it's from my own experience of being a veterans' wife, or, and I think about my husband's service and all those who have served alongside him. Right. And they tell a story all by themselves. So I have about seven combat boot paintings and I've kind of taken a pause because I would like to show them where I'd come up doing too many more. Have you thought about the Naval Academy displaying them down there? I don't have to reach out to them. Do they? Well, they've got a nice museum down there. I'm thinking the one's close by of the Naval Academy, and you have the Marine Corps Museum, which I think is in Quantico. 

Actually. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico. I've been there too. The APG doesn't have a museum anymore, does it? Does it afford me to have something? 

I don't know. There's a view, there's a view listening. If you could think of any play, I know it's going to be kind of hard to do before the memorial. Yeah, it doesn't even have a memorial. But, yeah, I mean, veterans day coming up. Yeah. You had a fourth of a jump. The thing is, when it comes to stuff like this, it can be any time. 

Oh, man. 

When you brought that in, I was just floored. I love it. I think it's a great idea. And especially when you... I guess, so, somebody say a veteran brings you their boots for you to paint. Were you going to interview them as well? Do you get a story behind the boots? 

I mean, it's not necessary. I mean, it's not necessary. Right now, I've been just working from two different pairs of boots. And 

it's interesting. I'm sure they have their own stories. But I haven't been asking them. Some of them may not want to share either. They tend to keep it in an open narrative, so it doesn't matter that these are my husband's boots. Anybody can put your feet into those boots. Everybody's got their own story. Anybody could slip those boots in and I'm sure they have stories. Yeah, because when I see that the first thing I think of is the desert of course because I mean they are the desert boots now I mean I've only worn the desert boots when we were out for training in the Mahabhi. That's it But we wore the jungle boots more which are the green and black ones And even the boots have changed throughout the years But yeah, now and you're looking for boots. Still right? Yeah, I'd consider doing some Okay So if let's say a veteran has a pair of active has pair boots And they're willing to give them to you that you bar him whatever. How do they contact you? Go to my website and there's my email Okay, shoot me an email and we'll start the conversation All right, so what's the next big thing after this? I love that I can see well, I can see this being displayed Not this all Because it's a whole show Right, what do they call that when you go into the gap or like this portraits is it considered a show? Exhibition exhibition tank Again, I'm not in all this exhibition, but I could see this Gone around the world Serious because you look at all the military bases around no and I could I could make a boot 

I take a break every once in a while. I don't know yeah, I tell my husband to I say maybe I didn't put out a public call for boots Because then I think wait a minute people start boots and then my house is gonna get filled up with any stinky old I was just gonna say they need to clean up like 

Interesting when to the covers the hats because every branch had so many different covers That they wore you know, you had your different dress uniforms you had your your the helmets Yeah, the regular covers you had your booney coat. Yeah. Oh, man One painting is a bigger format of the 

boots Mmm And I've seen people use the American flag and they put baseballs and baseball pants and this met-on and I started the painting And blocked it in and I shared it on Facebook and somebody Sends me a note about how disrespectful I am to the flag how dear you prayer put a pair of dirty boots on the flag what and I'm like and then I checked up the code the flag code, but you know, yeah, honestly technically It isn't wrong and it's wrong to put a baseball on it It's wrong to put a baseball bat and a helmet it's no, no, no, no, no And I've seen many artists win awards from those And I like and I reached out to them. I said have you ever taken any flag for that? No, I said, well So I was early into the painting. I was either gonna scrub it off and just scrap it And then I thought to myself, how do I get around this issue? Ignored was it one person I made the boots float Mm-hmm, they're floating above the flag they're not actually touching the flag That's how I got around it and to me that was almost even more significant Wow 

It's whole new meaning to it. It did but if I hit they hadn't called me out and maybe really stop and think and I'm like I don't want to disrespect the flag. Maybe they're right. So how do I get around that? 

Wow is that name is that pay you still have that 

And you sell the paintings online is well, right okay? 

God I got Yeah, you did you did it's weird because I mean I you know 

I don't know if you ever see a military funeral Yeah person when they follow the flag and everything and it's 

Just when you mentioned with the those boots just floating there He is going to as we say Going to guard the pearly gates Wow 

So 

we have some of those And that's what I use to casket flag for the still light. And the difference between a casket flag is, yes, they're much bigger. But they're made in a way that you can kind of shape them and get the fold to it. You want out of them so it was really great to work with as far as from the still light. Yeah, you get the fold lines on them. Yeah, wow. We count. So when you're painting

I mean, that just sends goose bumps. But when you're painting these, especially with the stuff with the veterans, God, you haven't done any first responders yet, have you? Okay. Good. But I mean, there's got to be emotional times. Absolutely. 

So the series of veterans that I just painted. That was a home. Oh, we didn't even talk about that, yeah. Yeah, that was interesting, too. If what did you decide to do that? So that started out. I applied to the Maryland State Arts. The Habitat Grace Arts Collective was open after Gallery and Habitat Grace. And I like to host open studios and higher models, and have people come paint with me. And I presented with them, I said, hey, I'll host open studios for you. And higher models, and I'll show up and do this. And I applied to the Maryland State Arts Council to help support it. So they gave me a little bit of grant money to help pay for the models. And I could have hired anybody to be my model. So then I said, well, who do I want to paint and what do I want to say? And I said, haha. I already knew a few veterans who were also artists themselves. The artists are always looking for opportunities to show their work and get into galleries. So I want to paint veterans who are artists themselves, not only myself, promote my art, but to promote their art. And one by one, I had them come in and I have all, they're all amazingly talented veterans. >> Wow. >> From different branches of service, different ranks. >> We live in different places too, right? >> Different art forms. Most of them were relocated. >> More from where in the airplane? >> From Maryland, I think my furthest one was from New York, Pennsylvania. >> Okay. >> And they all came and sat for me for the group of us, and that's how I started those paintings. So I sort of took that little pot of money and kind of grew it into something bigger. >> Now. >> And they all got paid to sit so they got the money. >> I don't. >> So like don't complain, you're a paid model. >> Where was that displayed at? Cuz you just, it's still going on, right? >> It went to gallery 220, it showed it for a day up in New York, Pennsylvania. >> Okay. >> Then it went to gallery 220 over the last veterans day. >> Okay. And then it just returned from Bwi, wasn't it? >> That's whatever it was Bwi. >> And I wouldn't have gotten that show if I hadn't painted the veterans, which is a whole, it's amazing to have things kind of spider out. One of the veterans. >> Networking, that's what it is, that's basically what you're doing. >> I was doing so. >> And then you probably didn't realize. >> Michael Hamilton's a wonderful sculptor, I painted him and he also volunteers hours at Manor Mill Gallery. He drives their shuttle bus for them, where they're parking lots over Fille. And he was there for a Baltimore Business Men's Association meeting one night. He goes, I was dragging this guy back to his car, he looked like he didn't have a friend in the world. And I just started talking to him about your project that you were doing and how you would painted me in this and that. And it turned out, part of his job was getting artwork in Bwi. >> Oh wow. >> And he goes, here's my card, however call me tomorrow. So that's what got us in the Bwi. >> But how many pieces were hanging there? >> The 10 portraits were there and then there was probably four to five pieces from each veteran in the show. >> And how long was it there for a month or two? >> I was there for like three months. >> Three months. >> Yeah, they gave us a very nice show. 

Just wonderful to work with. >> Did you know if any portraits were sold for that? >> I did. >> No. >> My portraits really aren't for sale, the veterans portraits. >> No, the art from the other veterans. 

>> Well they were in charge of their own sale. >> Wow, and then it's going to go, so it's home right now. And it's scheduled to code at the art center and Howard County in November for Veterans Day. So we're doing our last group show together. >> Well wait, I want to send your last group show together. >> Well, I'm going to return. >> Yeah, they call you from D. C. and say, bring the portraits down, yeah, we'll be there. >> We saw what you did. >> Next thing you know, Los Angeles. >> National portrait gallery, yeah. >> Is that it? >> Is that it? >> I was just taking a stab at that. >> I don't know, I don't know. >> All right, so where is the furthest you've gone for exhibition so far for your stuff? >> Okay. 

There's also a good, I mean, I can see it in New York and D. C. and everywhere else. And for those, no, I'm not just saying that. Those of you listening, again, if you're the PMOWOLB, it's e on the end of wild because she's extraordinary, um, you don't like that. 

I'm 

actually his family. I'm painting my daughter right now. You know, you can never make your family happy. 

Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to do that either. God, that would be hard. Yeah, 'cause you get all this emotional. Yeah. You know, you're worried that they're going to, are they going to like it or not? It's easier for me to sit down with somebody that I don't really know and look at them objectively. Whereas family 

is different. You're doing the boots now. You've done... actually, what would you even call this when the 120 portraits? That was portraits of having a grace. Portraits of having a grace. You've done the veteran portraits. 

I don't want to give you more work. What other kind of portraits, like a series do you want to do? Whether it be portraits or, you know, like the foods or something? I love, you know, I do love painting portraits and meeting the people I pay. You know, it's funny. I just went to the Portraits Society of America conferences and hung out with my people. And it's about making connections with people. There's something I never get bored painting faces. I got a suggestion for you. Just saying. I mean, I don't think I'm affront. I'm pretty sure it's never been done. But portraits of Santa Clauses. Oh, I just learned from that. That would be great. I mean, there's a lot of us that play Santa Claus. Just, I'm just saying. And you know... There are professional Santa Clauses out there, I know. 

Rich Bennett 31:46
So those of you that have been listening to the podcast and even those of you that have recorded with me in person, and were enormously record. Know there, there's something up with the building where we record at. And just to let you know what happened is, I don't know why, but as soon as I mentioned the stuff about Santa Claus, it's like everything just went haywire. All of a sudden the camera stopped working, the digital mixer that I used to record the audio part. I looked down it was stuck on 10 minutes, yet we were recording for about 45 minutes. Now, there is an old mailbox in that building that we use for Santa Claus letters. I'm wondering if maybe dad had something to do with it. I don't know. But the weird thing is the battery drained on the camera, which had the recording on it. The mixer, where I normally record for some reason there was nothing there. Not a thing. I get home and the camera's still fully charged. Kind of weird. So to make a long story short, I had to have Pam come back so we could record again or finish this as she brought her husband with her at this time. Did I tell you what actually happened? 

Pamela Wilde 33:13
I have no idea what happened. 

You 

Rich Bennett 33:15
All right, so...

Pamela Wilde 33:15
had video going too. 

Rich Bennett 33:16
Right, and we were recording on this 

Pamela Wilde 33:18
individual video. 

Rich Bennett 33:19
And then all of a sudden, the video went out. And the 

Scott Wilde 33:23
dead. 

Rich Bennett 33:23
battery is But when I got home it powered right up. This. This. It was showing 10 minutes on here. So when I took out the memory card putting in my computer, there was nothing on there. Nothing whatsoever. 

Scott Wilde 33:39
So 

Pamela Wilde 33:41
where did you get the audio from the last-- 

Rich Bennett 33:43
From the video? 

Pamela Wilde 33:44
Okay. But 

Rich Bennett 33:45
I was able to get 

Pamela Wilde 33:46
the video part, 

Rich Bennett 33:48
which had the audio, and then that cut out into like 40 some minutes. 

Pamela Wilde 33:53
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 33:54
The battery went dead. Something drained the battery. Yeah, that's a lot of thinking. It's weird that when I get home they think power right 

Scott Wilde 34:06
up. 

Rich Bennett 34:08
So don't be messing with us today. Wendy freaked out the one day we were in here recording and we had a medium. We didn't know she was a medium. Usually the TV will just go the TV clicked on was on for a bit and then went right off. Wendy freaked out by co-hosts like, well, you know, probably my brother messing with us. 

Pamela Wilde 34:35
People 

Rich Bennett 34:36
in here that I didn't know were mediums said that they. out of presents back there. It's like makes sense of all the members that we used to have here in the club. 

Pamela Wilde 34:44
So we went 

You know. 

Rich Bennett 35:00
It 

Pamela Wilde 35:01
was an old abandoned cemetery. And we're walking around checking out the old grapes' stones and stuff. And then I see another path going further into the woods. My husband and the kids are running around that part of the cemetery. I say, 'Hey, I'm going down here'. And I found a children. Children's Cemetery down there. It was all children's graves. 

Rich Bennett 35:19
Oh god. 

Pamela Wilde 35:19
And it was from 

Scott Wilde 35:20
back in the 

Pamela Wilde 35:21
polio days, people would leave New York City and go out to the finger lakes hoping to protect their children. Of course we have the cemetery there of all these children that passed away. But out here 

Scott Wilde 35:31
in the middle of this 

Pamela Wilde 35:32
abandoned old cemetery in the woods is a tree fort someone had built in the children's cemetery. 

So I'm walking around my camera, taking lots of pictures and pictures of the old graves and this and that. And at one point I go to turn my, it was a digital camera, go to turn my camera off and it won't turn off. 

Rich Bennett 35:51
During the energy 

Pamela Wilde 35:51
the time. 

Rich Bennett 35:52
or during 

Pamela Wilde 35:52
I can feel the battery heating up inside the camera. 

Rich Bennett 35:55
Wow. 

Pamela Wilde 35:55
It's getting ready to explode. And I'm like what the heck and I popped the battery out before it would. And I looked at my husband and I said I think we've been invited to leave. We gotta go. They've had They're letting us know, like get 

Rich Bennett 36:11
out. 

Now what were you doing? 

Pamela Wilde 36:13
(laughing)

It was time to go. 

Rich Bennett 36:16
Now how are you? You're like no, 

Pamela Wilde 36:18
no. 

Let's go up to the fort and try it. (laughing)

Scott Wilde 36:21
I've done not exactly paranormal research, but I've 

Rich Bennett 36:25
Right, 

Scott Wilde 36:25
researched a lot of the historically spooky areas around Chicago. And we have an area that's not far from where we grew up called Bachelors Grove. It's known as the most haunted place in the world. 

Rich Bennett 36:38
Really? 

Scott Wilde 36:39
It's basically, it's a cemetery the last person was interred there in the '70s. A special needs grown up child was interred with his parents. But it was originally a private cemetery that was acquired by Cocodi, who promptly bought the property, developed part of it into a forced preserved wreck area, and completely ignored this little post of stamp size cemetery. So as the '60s and '70s progressed, nature took it back, people made an effort to keep it trimmed and stuff. 

Rich Bennett 37:15
Right. 

Pamela Wilde 37:15
People got 

Scott Wilde 37:15
part. 

Pamela Wilde 37:15
there. 

Scott Wilde 37:15
The Satanist got in there, corpses were extracted, a murder occurred there. It's 

Pamela Wilde 37:23
It's an evil 

Scott Wilde 37:23
totally violated, and the paranormal manifestations in that area are like a hundredfold. And they're mixed in with the urban legends too. 

Rich Bennett 37:34
Right. 

Scott Wilde 37:35
But one of the reasons why some of the paranormal, the serious paranormal researchers continue to study this place, it's adjacent to this massive electrical transformer relay station, 

Rich Bennett 37:49
where 

Scott Wilde 37:50
it's like the electricity comes from somewhere in Western Chicago, it's relayed to Southern Cocodi. This thing is about, you know, a city block in South. 

Rich Bennett 38:01
Yeah. 

Scott Wilde 38:02
But it's back where no one sees it, and they think that the manifestations are in part powered by the attack that this generates so much electrical power. 

Rich Bennett 38:11
Interesting. 

Scott Wilde 38:11
And that's why the Spooks 

Pamela Wilde 38:13
Over 

Scott Wilde 38:13
Emilelands. 

Pamela Wilde 38:13
the years, and I always, I don't really kind of subscribe to the home. 

Scott Wilde 38:17
One of our dates, I 

Pamela Wilde 38:18
shouldn't have heard it. (laughing)

Rich Bennett 38:20
Yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 38:20
we got in there back in our date and year. 

Scott Wilde 38:22
Weird. 

Pamela Wilde 38:22
But also over the years, every time he'd go back to Chicago, he'd always pick up his little disposable camera and go out there and take picture, looking for the orbs, right? And I would just sort of roll my eyes like whatever. He'd bring all of them, we'd get all the pictures back. But then the one time he went there by himself, a couple of years ago. 

Scott Wilde 38:41
Hell of 

Pamela Wilde 38:42
a story. He didn't bring a camera. 

Scott Wilde 38:46
Oh, I encountered, yeah. I had my encounter with a man at the station. 

Oh, nice. 

I think he's a demon. 

Rich Bennett 38:53
Oh, not 

Scott Wilde 38:53
Who is? 

Rich Bennett 38:53
nice. (laughing)

Scott Wilde 38:54
To the tall man or the dark man? 

The shadow man. 

But to access this cemetery, it's a very long, it used to be a highway. It has since degraded into a pathway with erosion and concrete being chipped away. You used to be able to drive up to the cemetery. Well, I'm back there without a camera. And I look around, okay, the spirits are not active today. Some signs of and wisdom, but I'm walking back. And I'm looking up this 

Pamela Wilde 39:25
road. 

Scott Wilde 39:26
and there's this one stretch of road called the Midlothian Turnpike. 

Pamela Wilde 39:31
Well, 

Scott Wilde 39:31
Well, I 

Pamela Wilde 39:31
I am, 

Scott Wilde 39:31
am on the 

Pamela Wilde 39:31
You 

Scott Wilde 39:32
path. 

Pamela Wilde 39:32
have to wait, I'm on this way. 

Scott Wilde 39:33
Here's the Midlothian Turnpike. And seeing cars whizzed by back there. 

Rich Bennett 39:48
Right, 

Scott Wilde 39:49
but like a rent in the atmosphere, black. And I'm looking up the highway and I'm feeling creepy. our 

Pamela Wilde 39:57
Here's 

Scott Wilde 39:57
figure. Here's the Midlothian Turnpike. Carcams. It disappears behind the figure. And then I see it go the other way around. Past, I mean, there was something there. 

Rich Bennett 40:09
Wow, 

Pamela Wilde 40:10
and it didn't have any feet. 

Scott Wilde 40:11
Yeah, it was about scale 14 inches above the ground. And then I thought, 'Oh, what if he's got buddies?' And I look over my 

Pamela Wilde 40:20
shoulder. Right. 

Scott Wilde 40:22
And there's nothing just Chicago's usual 90 degree heat. And I turn around, he was gone. Like, 

Pamela Wilde 40:30
Time to go. 'Cause you don't know if you're really seeing another human being that's out to 

Rich Bennett 40:35
uh-huh. 

Pamela Wilde 40:35
do you harm. Like, I'm not afraid of the dead, it's the living, and I'm 

Scott Wilde 40:38
Yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 40:38
scared. 

Scott Wilde 40:38
and I get back to, 

Pamela Wilde 40:39
of course, the 

Scott Wilde 40:41
area where there's, you know, parking, you know, wreck area of 

Rich Bennett 40:43
'serve 

Scott Wilde 40:44
people, and I just immediately call Pam. 

Pamela Wilde 40:46
He 

Scott Wilde 40:46
freaking 

Pamela Wilde 40:47
was 

Scott Wilde 40:47
out. And I just said, 'I have just seen a ghost.' 

Pamela Wilde 40:50
you have a been 

Scott Wilde 40:51
And 

Pamela Wilde 40:51
back there, you 

Scott Wilde 40:52
saying. 

Pamela Wilde 40:52
are 

Scott Wilde 40:52
The one time I don't have a camera there, I, I have not gone back there since. 

Rich Bennett 40:57
It's, I've experienced it a couple times. The first time just, it's like, you're frozen. It just scares you that much. But then the second time I was. 

Scott Wilde 41:12
Yeah, it's like it took a split 

Pamela Wilde 41:13
second. 

Scott Wilde 41:14
Logic and, you know, the, the fear meter to spike a little bit. I look over my shoulder and that's when Spookman left. 

Rich Bennett 41:22
I think the need to say I ever saw, we went to Hartvers. 

Brother-in-law, maybe my son is somebody else, but we're walking back up to the car through the cemetery there. The only time I've ever seen this, an orb with the naked eye, we've seen this orb following us. It, we're like, this is just too wild. You know, it just sounds like a new series you need to do. No. Portraits 

Pamela Wilde 41:54
spirits. No, no. I 

Rich Bennett 41:55
of 

Pamela Wilde 41:55
fell. Yeah, let's call it Plenty of Painting over at Bachelor's Grove. I don't think so. 

Rich Bennett 41:59
Well, you don't have to go 

Pamela Wilde 42:00
Plenty 

Rich Bennett 42:00
there. of pillars is around Hartford County, Baltimore County where you. 

Pamela Wilde 42:04
I 

Rich Bennett 42:05
mean, something different. All right. So, 

Pamela Wilde 42:08
you were 

Scott Wilde 42:09
taking 

Pamela Wilde 42:09
photos. 

Rich Bennett 42:11
Now, I want to go back in time because 

you, 

Pamela Wilde 42:18
you with your 

Rich Bennett 42:19
art you started when you were, what 

Pamela Wilde 42:22
13? Probably 1213. 

Rich Bennett 42:27
before we started recording, you actually 

Pamela Wilde 42:29
1213. 

Rich Bennett 42:29
mentioned 

Pamela Wilde 42:29
And 

Rich Bennett 42:29
that or is your husband that mentioned you? 

Pamela Wilde 42:31
To 

Rich Bennett 42:32
photography. Yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 42:33
I was in high school. I was doing a lot of photography and taking photography classes. Through our local Arts Center, which was awesome. We had a wonderful art center in our community. So they offered all kinds of art classes, including photography back in the day. And they had a beautiful dark room there and had some good teachers and 

Rich Bennett 42:52
lot. 

Pamela Wilde 42:52
learned a 

Rich Bennett 42:53
Were you thinking about giving up painting or? 

Pamela Wilde 42:56
No, I was doing a sort of side by side. 

Rich Bennett 42:58
Okay. 

Pamela Wilde 42:58
And then I got into art school after high school. And that was more focused on commercial aspects of art. My father was like, "If you're going to go to art school, you're going to learn a trade." Because you might need to support yourself. So I went to the American Academy of Art. And they were very focused in commercial art, graphic design, illustration, things like that. And they did have a painting program. 

Rich Bennett 43:24
Right. 

Pamela Wilde 43:24
I wish I could have been a part of. But I was tracked towards commercial art. But how 

Rich Bennett 43:31
do you go from commercial art to portraits? That's a big change, I would think. 

Pamela Wilde 43:35
So I did. Well, part of my commercial art training was we did a lot of figure drawing. 

Rich Bennett 43:41
Right. 

Pamela Wilde 43:41
We had life drawing every day. It was 

Rich Bennett 43:43
Okay. 

Pamela Wilde 43:43
part of our 

Scott Wilde 43:44
training. 

Pamela Wilde 43:46
And when I got out of school, I worked. We got married shortly thereafter. And then I worked in Arizona for a newspaper doing advertising and this and that. And then we went to Koma Washington. And I 

Scott Wilde 43:58
worked in a paper 

Pamela Wilde 43:59
up there doing advertising. Then they kind of figured out, "Oh, she can paint." And so I was doing editorial illustration for them, which was awesome. 

Rich Bennett 44:08
Oh, wow. 

Pamela Wilde 44:09
So they would give me a story a couple weeks out because they read this and come up with some ideas. I would come up with some ideas to illustrate the story and get them approved by the editors and go back 

Scott Wilde 44:20
and make them 

Pamela Wilde 44:21
a piece of art. And they would publish it in the newspaper with this story a couple weeks later. 

Rich Bennett 44:26
So 

Pamela Wilde 44:26
I was getting my first buy lines. I was pretty proud of that. 

Rich Bennett 44:30
Now, explain what kind of art would that be for stories? It's sort of like what you see when people are in court, the paintings or whatever. 

Pamela Wilde 44:37
Court Room Art. Um, 

Rich Bennett 44:39
that's 

Pamela Wilde 44:39
at a. 

Rich Bennett 44:40
actually just a separate thing, 

Pamela Wilde 44:41
room. 

Rich Bennett 44:41
court 

Pamela Wilde 44:42
Yeah, they have a whole museum for Court room. 

Rich Bennett 44:44
Oh, get 

Pamela Wilde 44:44
you. 

Rich Bennett 44:44
out of 

Pamela Wilde 44:45
Damn, too. Oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 44:47
Wow. 

Pamela Wilde 44:48
I thought about doing that, too. I was going to call a judgish cup and see if I can come sit in one of his court here. If they ever get a good case in there, I can sit in the corner. 

Rich Bennett 44:56
I didn't know that was a thing. 

Pamela Wilde 44:58
Court room. I just, yeah, they make money. There's a lot of court rooms. You can't have, you know, photographers in there. So cameras, though they 

Rich Bennett 45:05
do. 

Pamela Wilde 45:05
still 

Rich Bennett 45:05
No, but I didn't know that was a type of 

Pamela Wilde 45:07
They, 

Rich Bennett 45:07
art. 

Pamela Wilde 45:08
yeah, it's court room art, and I think there's a museum somewhere of court room art. So you can go see, like, some of the really good cases and artwork made from, like, the O. J. Trials. 

Rich Bennett 45:16
Oh, oh, 

Scott Wilde 45:18
right. 

Pamela Wilde 45:19
all 

Rich Bennett 45:19
This stuff you were doing then 

Pamela Wilde 45:21
was editorial illustration. So they would get stories. Um, I did a story about, I had to illustrate a story about, um, men who were secretly gay, but married to women. It 

Rich Bennett 45:39
had an illustrator. 

Pamela Wilde 45:39
had to illustrate that one. 

Rich Bennett 45:41
I ever seen anything like that. Or 

Pamela Wilde 45:45
I've 

Rich Bennett 45:45
is it that good where you can't tell? 

Pamela Wilde 45:46
They're not really doing it anymore. 

Rich Bennett 45:49
So nowadays, oh, 

Pamela Wilde 45:50
nowadays, everything is either gone over to photography. I am an artificial intelligence. What do you need an artist for? 

Rich Bennett 45:55
True. Yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 45:56
That's a whole other story. 

Rich Bennett 45:58
Uh huh. 

Pamela Wilde 45:59
So yeah, that was probably 

Rich Bennett 46:01
even AI can't get as good as you. 

Pamela Wilde 46:04
AI is just ripping off data from people and mashing it all together. So it's taking out the human element of art, which is really sad. 

Rich Bennett 46:12
Well, yeah, that is true. You're seeing ever a lot of things. I mean, because a lot of people, especially authors, were nervous about it, um, but you still got it. You still got a proof for you because AI even makes mistakes. 

Pamela Wilde 46:25
Oh, yeah, I love it. Actually, I used AI a couple of days. I was working on a painting. I had this beautiful photograph that I took of this man holding his baby, so I just out of curiosity. I prompted AI to make me an image of a man holding a baby 

Rich Bennett 46:40
and 

Pamela Wilde 46:41
it was hilarious. I got an image back of a man holding a baby, but the baby's legs were on backwards. 

I'm like, oh, 

Rich Bennett 46:52
is, I gotta meet 

Pamela Wilde 46:52
it 

Rich Bennett 46:53
it is at times. It's fun to 

Pamela Wilde 46:55
play with. 

Rich Bennett 46:56
We, so what I did, I took the photos of myself and some of my 

Pamela Wilde 47:02
and 

Rich Bennett 47:03
asked it to convert us into baby sitting at a table with microphones. Of course, 

Pamela Wilde 47:09
everybody. 

Rich Bennett 47:10
No, laughing at it. Um, but sometimes it could be scary looking as well. Now, if I ask AI to give me 

Pamela Wilde 47:19
hair 

Rich Bennett 47:20
and it can actually give me hair, I'd be happy with that. 

Scott Wilde 47:25
happened? 

Rich Bennett 47:25
And what Hi, so you're, so the newspapers, you're doing. 

Pamela Wilde 47:31
I was doing editorial illustration. 

Rich Bennett 47:34
I'm 

Scott Wilde 47:35
illustrating. 

Rich Bennett 47:36
Okay. 

Pamela Wilde 47:37
Um, and then shortly thereafter we had to go back to Arizona. 

Scott Wilde 47:42
Yeah. 

Maybe these were separate incidents, but Pam would do illustrations or she would model for the illustrations or do that as a supplement 

Pamela Wilde 47:55
Oh, yeah, 

Scott Wilde 47:58
together. 

Pamela Wilde 47:58
we did some 

Scott Wilde 48:00
perfume 

Pamela Wilde 48:00
back 

Rich Bennett 48:01
day. 

Pamela Wilde 48:01
in the 

Rich Bennett 48:01
What? 

Pamela Wilde 48:02
Back in the day. 

Rich Bennett 48:03
Oh, wait, I got a here. 

Scott Wilde 48:04
We were cute. 

Rich Bennett 48:05
You guys had worse. 

Pamela Wilde 48:07
No, no, 

Rich Bennett 48:07
no, 

Scott Wilde 48:07
no. Oh, it 

Pamela Wilde 48:08
it was 

Scott Wilde 48:08
was, 

Pamela Wilde 48:08
kind of perfume. 

Rich Bennett 48:09
paper. 

Pamela Wilde 48:09
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 48:09
Oh, I thought you 

Pamela Wilde 48:10
we 

Rich Bennett 48:10
were 

Pamela Wilde 48:10
were in the 

Rich Bennett 48:11
battling each 

Pamela Wilde 48:11
other. We were, 

Scott Wilde 48:12
we were in, 

Pamela Wilde 48:13
we, we shared. Yes. So the, um, photography department at this. It was a fun place to work because very creative people, but every once in a while, they say, hey, we need a model. 

Rich Bennett 48:23
Right. 

Pamela Wilde 48:24
Straight this stuff. We're going to shoot 

Scott Wilde 48:25
some pictures. 

Pamela Wilde 48:27
had a story coming out about perfume or something. And they're like, the photographer had an idea, but she didn't feel comfortable. 

Scott Wilde 48:35
Never 

Rich Bennett 48:36
And they 

Scott Wilde 48:36
mind. 

Pamela Wilde 48:37
Just got he 

Scott Wilde 48:38
came in and he 

Pamela Wilde 48:39
came 

Scott Wilde 48:43
in. Yeah, I came in and full, and full battle dress. And the group commanders had told me I had asked permission. 

Rich Bennett 48:50
Oh, okay. 

Scott Wilde 48:51
to appear in the media, because as a 

Rich Bennett 48:54
Right 

Scott Wilde 48:54
special forces, you said you cannot be recognizable as a special forces soldier. So I took the camouflage. I made myself. I looked like I ethnically converted. She 

Pamela Wilde 49:05
really made it hard on the chicken, 

Scott Wilde 49:06
and she was so gorgeous and makeup made up and stuff like that. We're like face to face and 

Rich Bennett 49:12
the 

Scott Wilde 49:13
picture just didn't come out well. 

Rich Bennett 49:15
Oh, 

Scott Wilde 49:15
and I was wearing the old tin 

Pamela Wilde 49:16
Well, 

Scott Wilde 49:16
pot. 

Pamela Wilde 49:17
the 

Scott Wilde 49:17
God. 

Pamela Wilde 49:17
problem. 

Rich Bennett 49:17
Oh, 

Scott Wilde 49:17
The Kevlar's head and coming yet. 

Pamela Wilde 49:19
But really camouflage is it's light absorbing. 

Rich Bennett 49:22
So it's really yeah. Yeah, 

Scott Wilde 49:23
yeah. A 

Pamela Wilde 49:23
photo to take a picture of you. 

Scott Wilde 49:25
And I did not want Colonel Barato coming after me with like your recognized. 

Pamela Wilde 49:29
You're a 

Scott Wilde 49:30
silhouette. You screwed up again, 

Pamela Wilde 49:31
Lieutenant. You were just a silhouette. 

Scott Wilde 49:32
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 49:33
Was it and it was the cover? 

Scott Wilde 49:35
It was 

Rich Bennett 49:35
or just 

Scott Wilde 49:36
I 

Rich Bennett 49:36
an 

Scott Wilde 49:36
guess a section front 

Pamela Wilde 49:37
page 

Scott Wilde 49:38
like a like a like a section B or 

Rich Bennett 49:41
do 

Scott Wilde 49:41
what 

Rich Bennett 49:41
you guys still have? 

Scott Wilde 49:42
Yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 49:42
I have all my tear pages 

Scott Wilde 49:45
Pam's modeling portfolio 

Pamela Wilde 49:47
we kept come on. That's good stuff. 

Rich Bennett 49:49
We gotta send it to me this I could put it in the show notes Pam's like not a shot rich forget it 

Scott Wilde 49:56
Pam looks good. I'm just like a silhouette Maybe 

Pamela Wilde 49:59
the illustrations. I'm more proud of the artwork than that 

Scott Wilde 50:03
Well, you did good 

Rich Bennett 50:04
that's wow 

Scott Wilde 50:06
But unfortunately we had to even go back to Arizona for a year and 

Pamela Wilde 50:10
then we started a family And then I stayed home with the kids and Scott around and did army stuff 

Rich Bennett 50:16
the hammy kids any of them in the art 

Pamela Wilde 50:20
not really 

Rich Bennett 50:21
no 

Pamela Wilde 50:21
no 

Rich Bennett 50:22
no military right 

Scott Wilde 50:24
our son was 

None 

Rich Bennett 50:28
of them picked up the archie 

Pamela Wilde 50:29
My daughter my daughter's more into literary she likes writing and 

Scott Wilde 50:33
and 

Pamela Wilde 50:33
reading

Rich Bennett 50:33
That's hard Anime

Scott Wilde 50:37
big time anime girl

Rich Bennett 50:39
I'm glad you explained 

Scott Wilde 50:41
that because you 

Rich Bennett 50:42
Talked about the 

Pamela Wilde 50:43
between 

Rich Bennett 50:43
difference Prince which I had no idea that Prince weren't as valuable 

Well 

Pamela Wilde 50:53
you 

Rich Bennett 50:53
if 

Pamela Wilde 50:54
can afford it, 

Rich Bennett 50:55
I was gonna 

Pamela Wilde 50:55
say How 

Rich Bennett 50:57
many artists actually will sell the original 

Pamela Wilde 51:00
Pain in this weekend 

Rich Bennett 51:02
you what 

Pamela Wilde 51:03
I bought a painting this weekend original 

Rich Bennett 51:05
Really 

Pamela Wilde 51:06
happy to have it. It's mine 

Rich Bennett 51:08
One 

Pamela Wilde 51:09
of the world 

Rich Bennett 51:10
as artists would sell the original just a prince 

Pamela Wilde 51:13
Now once you sell the original and then you can go into selling prints. I would I would prefer to sell the originals 

Rich Bennett 51:20
Okay, so if you so 

Scott Wilde 51:22
once you sell the original 

Rich Bennett 51:23
you can still 

Pamela Wilde 51:24
Art is always owns copyright to their work and last unless you may unless you have 

Scott Wilde 51:29
Separate 

Pamela Wilde 51:29
a 

deal 

Rich Bennett 51:35
How common is that 

Pamela Wilde 51:38
for some like okay, let's Whoever designed the smiley face remember the smiley 

Everywhere 

Rich Bennett 51:50
and people I 

Pamela Wilde 51:51
look 

Rich Bennett 51:51
mean 

Pamela Wilde 51:51
and they're still using 

Rich Bennett 51:52
it. Yeah, well. Yeah becoming became emojis 

Pamela Wilde 51:55
It's a Mr. York 

Rich Bennett 51:57
T shirts all the time 

Scott Wilde 51:59
fair 

Pamela Wilde 51:59
If 

Scott Wilde 52:00
If you 

Pamela Wilde 52:00
you 

Scott Wilde 52:00
have 

Pamela Wilde 52:00
have 

Scott Wilde 52:00
a 

Pamela Wilde 52:01
a 

Scott Wilde 52:01
very popular image 

Pamela Wilde 52:02
and you can sell the rights copyright 

Scott Wilde 52:06
But

Pamela Wilde 52:06
you can sell it probably more than the original Because it's you know they're gonna print 

Rich Bennett 52:11
it 

Pamela Wilde 52:11
it 

Rich Bennett 52:11
print 

Pamela Wilde 52:11
print

Rich Bennett 52:11
it Forever 

So I guess it's the same with like just well just like with music when you heard who was it the Beatles? I think sold their library and 

My I think Michael Jackson balled it And wow interesting, I didn't know you that

it cuz you do oil 

Pamela Wilde 52:37
Misconception 

Rich Bennett 52:37
painting what are some of the biggest misconceptions about oil painting that people have 

Pamela Wilde 52:44
All 

Rich Bennett 52:55
right, 

so you suggest don't Your kids do oil 

Pamela Wilde 53:03
Actually, you know there's a lot of artists now who um you don't even need turpentine you can you can do it without any Really 

Rich Bennett 53:11
So 

Pamela Wilde 53:12
you can use straight. Lindsay There's a new there's a new meat and that solvent called gamsol It's not really a solid but it's probably the safest of all of them, but even with that I keep Using it it's odorless. I don't do turpenoids or turpentine anymore. It's too poisonous. I won't I can't breathe. That's nothing But other than that It's it's pretty safe product 

Rich Bennett 53:37
I'm surprised they haven't made like a 

Pamela Wilde 53:39
plant 

Well, 

Rich Bennett 53:42
And again 

Pamela Wilde 53:44
it's basically pigment and linseed oil. Linseed 

Rich Bennett 53:47
I 

Pamela Wilde 53:47
is 

Rich Bennett 53:47
Linseed 

Pamela Wilde 53:47
planted. 

Rich Bennett 53:48
is a plane 

Pamela Wilde 53:48
Yeah, or walnut oil is the other binder that they use 

Rich Bennett 53:52
Walnut oil Really, 

Pamela Wilde 53:55
yeah, you can use walnut oil Linseed oil are the two basics that they mix oil paints with 

Rich Bennett 54:01
I had no idea 

Did you know all this Only 

Scott Wilde 54:07
what little bit she shared with me 

Rich Bennett 54:09
if I saw if my wife was doing this I saw a pile of walnut oil because I think it's like smokeless 

Pamela Wilde 54:18
I would think artist grades is pretty good 

Rich Bennett 54:22
though. Oh, there's different grades. 

Scott Wilde 54:23
i have noticed from my my hobby so is that there are a lot a very corrosive plant-based solvents. i use one in what i do. it's called 'goop-off'. 

Rich Bennett 54:34
oh 

Scott Wilde 54:34
oh yeah, 

Rich Bennett 54:34
yeah, 

Scott Wilde 54:34
and it's an extra 

Pamela Wilde 54:35
extract, 

Scott Wilde 54:36
from a rubber plant. 

Rich Bennett 54:37
really? 

Scott Wilde 54:38
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 54:38
I didn't know that. 

Scott Wilde 54:40
and the stuff not only smells nasty, but it will totally corrode polystyrene. 

Rich Bennett 54:45
what 

Scott Wilde 54:47
plastic, 

Rich Bennett 54:48
hard plastic. do you fall off those? 

Scott Wilde 54:49
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:52
I hit. 

Pamela Wilde 54:53
hmm. 

Rich Bennett 54:54
well, where it meets in the plastic bottle, isn't 

Scott Wilde 54:57
no, 

Rich Bennett 54:57
it? it's not? 

Scott Wilde 54:57
metal. 

Pamela Wilde 54:59
I 

Scott Wilde 54:59
know because I buy it by the gallon. and then I download it into a smaller bottle for use in my hobby room. I, I restore old GI Joffi. 

Pamela Wilde 55:07
Oh 

Scott Wilde 55:07
crap. 

Pamela Wilde 55:08
[inaudible] 

Rich Bennett 55:09
No way. 

Scott Wilde 55:11
[inaudible] I don't want to steal her thunder. but this 

Rich Bennett 55:16
what 

Scott Wilde 55:16
is 

Rich Bennett 55:16
buddy 

Scott Wilde 55:16
what I- 

Rich Bennett 55:16
goes 

Pamela Wilde 55:17
here what she does 

Rich Bennett 55:18
with with the boots and everything. oh yeah, all right. 

Pamela Wilde 55:22
We're 

Rich Bennett 55:22
creative. 

Pamela Wilde 55:22
both very 

Rich Bennett 55:22
I'm 

Scott Wilde 55:23
he 

Rich Bennett 55:23
sorry. 

Scott Wilde 55:24
has his art studio. 

Pamela Wilde 55:24
I have my art 

Scott Wilde 55:25
studio. 

Rich Bennett 55:25
Pima, 

Scott Wilde 55:25
you know, we have the 

Rich Bennett 55:26
I 

Scott Wilde 55:26
house. 

Rich Bennett 55:26
got to asking that this now because GI Joe figures. I mean, 

Scott Wilde 55:30
I know I should 

Rich Bennett 55:31
that. 

Scott Wilde 55:31
have mentioned 

Rich Bennett 55:31
No, that's all right. How many do you have with the real hair? 

Scott Wilde 55:36
I'm probably about a hundred. 

Rich Bennett 55:38
come on. 

Scott Wilde 55:39
Why you want one? Play 

Pamela Wilde 55:41
date. 

Rich Bennett 55:43
there's who's 

Scott Wilde 55:44
I have around 

Rich Bennett 55:46
500, damn, 

Scott Wilde 55:47
but the way I support it and I travel probably three quarters out of the year to all the major GI Joe shows across the country. I'm the only guy in the world that repairs him repairs the old talking GI Joe's. 

Rich Bennett 56:02
out. what? 

Scott Wilde 56:02
You know, 

Rich Bennett 56:02
Yeah, 

Scott Wilde 56:02
he pulls string yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 56:04
a pet, 

Scott Wilde 56:05
uh, I fix those. 

Rich Bennett 56:07
holy cow. because the ones of the original hair 

Pamela Wilde 56:10
a lot of 

Rich Bennett 56:11
money, aren't 

Scott Wilde 56:12
they? Oh, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 56:13
when did they 

Pamela Wilde 56:13
stop? 

Rich Bennett 56:14
Do you remember 

Scott Wilde 56:15
1975? 

Rich Bennett 56:16
with the real hair. 

Scott Wilde 56:18
but a movement in the last few years has come up where guys are actually stripping the old hair off. some of these guys were bandaged, I mean, or are lovingly played with a 

Rich Bennett 56:29
Yeah, 

Scott Wilde 56:29
lot. 

Rich Bennett 56:29
blowing up and all 

Scott Wilde 56:30
that and they refluck the heads now. Several of my friends do that as a garage job sideline. 

Pamela Wilde 56:37
They figured out 

Scott Wilde 56:40
I tried it, but I ended up just flocking just about everything to include my fingers, so I gave it up. 

Rich Bennett 56:47
I did it. that's pretty wild. how come GI Joe and Barbie never hooked up? 

Scott Wilde 56:55
oh, I think they did with a few purvy little boys, but I don't think any children. result of it. 

Rich Bennett 57:01
as 

Scott Wilde 57:01
So 

Rich Bennett 57:02
a 

Scott Wilde 57:02
is 

Rich Bennett 57:02
the influence of with the the boots? 

Well, 

Pamela Wilde 57:07
possibly. Yeah, because, you know, I'm a vet transwife. Yeah, we there's a lot of overlap. 

Rich Bennett 57:15
So when you gonna do the GI Joe's? 

Pamela Wilde 57:17
It's 

Rich Bennett 57:18
easy for them to, it's easy for them to pose for you. 

Scott Wilde 57:21
I 

Pamela Wilde 57:21
GI 

Scott Wilde 57:21
painted a few 

Pamela Wilde 57:22
Joe's and he 

Scott Wilde 57:23
the whole 

Pamela Wilde 57:23
sold 

Scott Wilde 57:23
of those at the show and 

Pamela Wilde 57:24
he just like 

Scott Wilde 57:25
anime 

Rich Bennett 57:25
Yeah, 

Scott Wilde 57:26
art. 

Pamela Wilde 57:26
my daughter was you know, I could probably be very successful 

Scott Wilde 57:29
I 

Pamela Wilde 57:29
if 

Scott Wilde 57:30
actually tracked, 

Pamela Wilde 57:32
or but, 

Scott Wilde 57:34
Yeah, Pam has done several posters that are proven 

Pamela Wilde 57:38
yeah, my 

Scott Wilde 57:38
to be very popular. 

Pamela Wilde 57:39
Then 

Scott Wilde 57:40
there was one time, some of the rare GI Joe's, there was a kit called the sabotage kit and another one that showed a full scale GI Joe West Point cadet. Well, Pam recreate into Pam recreate 

Pamela Wilde 57:52
a boxer into she 

Scott Wilde 57:55
paintings, and she had consigned these to a corner of the basement. just like, oh, shoot, I should just take these to the show. Not many people have a complete GI Joe West Point cadet. 

Rich Bennett 58:05
I'm 

Scott Wilde 58:05
And so some guy came up and just boom $150 each, they were gone. 

Pamela Wilde 58:12
You 

Rich Bennett 58:13
are a proof that doing art, you can make it a successful business. Because you hear that 

Scott Wilde 58:24
discipline of 

Rich Bennett 58:24
art is that you are struggling and it's very hard. 

Scott Wilde 58:28
It 

Pamela Wilde 58:29
is very hard 

Rich Bennett 58:32
to 

Pamela Wilde 58:33
keep working and I don't 

Scott Wilde 58:35
really have to feel like I have a 

Pamela Wilde 58:36
choice, if you're an artist 

Rich Bennett 58:38
you're 

Pamela Wilde 58:39
What is your barometer of success? Is it all about the bank account, or is it about making the most 

Scott Wilde 58:46
meaningful people, the 

Pamela Wilde 58:47
artist. 

Scott Wilde 58:49
That's 

Pamela Wilde 58:49
I am not running after the anime dollar, I'm not running after the GI. I've done some stuff for 

Rich Bennett 58:55
why 

Pamela Wilde 58:55
fun, I've done some graphic 

Scott Wilde 58:56
design for them 

Pamela Wilde 58:58
with the Joes, and we had fun in Photoshop. Don't let your old soldiers fade away. 

Rich Bennett 59:05
So what is the secret to, and this is for inspiring artists, what's 

Pamela Wilde 59:11
secret 

Rich Bennett 59:11
the 

Pamela Wilde 59:11
to 

Rich Bennett 59:12
getting your 

Pamela Wilde 59:13
data 

Rich Bennett 59:14
and your work? 

Pamela Wilde 59:16
Great. Perseverance. And I would think if you want to make a be a professional artist, most artists that I know who are making a professional living supporting themselves at the art, they are multi-tasking. They're not just selling paintings off their 

Scott Wilde 59:30
No. 

Pamela Wilde 59:30
wall. They're teaching, they're writing, they're making art 

Scott Wilde 59:35
They're 

Pamela Wilde 59:35
blogs. 

Scott Wilde 59:35
innovating. 

Pamela Wilde 59:37
So, going to education too and 

Scott Wilde 59:41
you 

Pamela Wilde 59:41
making art. You know, 

Scott Wilde 59:41
know, 

Pamela Wilde 59:44
learning how to teach and making 

Scott Wilde 59:46
art as a start for 

Pamela Wilde 59:46
in 

Scott Wilde 59:46
hand and 

Pamela Wilde 59:47
hand, because 

Rich Bennett 59:47
call 

Pamela Wilde 59:47
it's 

Rich Bennett 59:47
yourself 

Pamela Wilde 59:47
important to pass on your knowledge to the next generation. And I'm, you know, it's like we're all learning from each other. But I would suggest multi-tasking. Don't just focus solely on making art. You got it? 

Rich Bennett 1:00:02
And you're teaching as well? 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:05
No. No. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:06
Where are you at one point doing classes or whatever? 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:08
I take classes. I feel like I'm a lifelong learner. I'm still learning. I've never taught. No. I'm a little hesitant. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:19
Why? 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:20
Because I've had teachers that really kind of teaching, especially art. 

Scott Wilde 1:00:28
You're 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:28
Not 

Scott Wilde 1:00:28
not. 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:29
only teaching techniques and stuff, but you have to be very careful of people's, you know, it's easy to hurt people's feelings. And I've gotten crushed by a few teachers. Literally crushed. It just tried to stop me out of the system and so told me when I was in art school, you're wasting your time. Go home and marry the boy next door. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:52
So did 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:53
and I did that was the best advice Mr. 

Rich Bennett 1:00:55
your wow 

Pamela Wilde 1:00:56
and I won't say his name ever gave me but I almost quit art school because of him. And I was actually dating Scott at the time. And he's like, don't quit. Don't quit. Is there is there another teacher in the school that teaches the same class, switch out teachers. But I was like, no I can't switch out. I feel like a failure. No, switch out. It's better than quitting. So I did switch out to another teacher and it was the greatest thing I did because my second teacher for the same course was hands on. He was sit there and give you a demo and a demo and a demo until you understood what he was trying to teach you. Whereas my other teacher was like, keep giving a demo at the beginning of 

Scott Wilde 1:01:34
the tree. 

Pamela Wilde 1:01:36
If you don't miss take lots of notes because after the first day of that demo demonstrations that he gives for the entire month, you won't answer anymore questions, you're on your own. 

Rich Bennett 1:01:46
Wow, 

Pamela Wilde 1:01:47
and I was fresh out of high school. And this was all kinds of concepts that I had no idea what I was doing. I was in school with people who were probably 

Scott Wilde 1:01:56
well along in their 

Pamela Wilde 1:01:57
careers, that their employers sent them back to this art school. And I'm like 18, 19 years old and I'm like a deer in the headlights and I needed help. I was like a sea student barely keeping up. 

Rich Bennett 1:02:09
Wow. 

Scott Wilde 1:02:10
And stressed out beyond 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:11
beyond belief, 

Scott Wilde 1:02:12
belief, 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:12
and then a great day came when they told me I was waiting my time. So 

Scott Wilde 1:02:15
out 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:15
I switched 

Scott Wilde 1:02:16
to another teacher who was very hands 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:18
And 

Scott Wilde 1:02:18
on. 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:19
I learned so much from him and I'm so grateful I didn't quit. So you're when you got to the college, did 

Rich Bennett 1:02:30
you send it to that or 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:31
teacher 

Rich Bennett 1:02:32
did you 

Scott Wilde 1:02:32
read? 

Rich Bennett 1:02:32
never 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:32
No, it's funny about him is he's, 

Scott Wilde 1:02:36
oh, 

Rich Bennett 1:02:37
you got to send him some 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:38
articles. This is this is he's still alive. And I'm probably about five years ago. I got a friend 

Rich Bennett 1:02:47
really. 

Pamela Wilde 1:02:48
And he's got to be well into his eighties now. And I sat back and I went, holy crap. He obviously doesn't remember who I was, right? Yeah, a lot of students come through. I'm sure he was really tough 

Scott Wilde 1:03:07
teacher. 

Pamela Wilde 1:03:09
Let 

Scott Wilde 1:03:10
me a friend 

Pamela Wilde 1:03:10
request. And I'm like, ooh, I wrote him back. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:21
Right, you could say 

Scott Wilde 1:03:23
what a Richard he was. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:24
Wait a minute, I was offended by that. 

Scott Wilde 1:03:27
I knew you'd like that. 

Rich Bennett 1:03:31
What did he respond to that? 

Pamela Wilde 1:03:33
an 

Scott Wilde 1:03:33
As 

Pamela Wilde 1:03:34
adult, I'm looking back at myself when I'm 18. I can 

Scott Wilde 1:03:37
look back 

Rich Bennett 1:03:37
at 

Pamela Wilde 1:03:38
myself. 

And he came back to me with a half-ass apology and about 100 all the pressure he was wonderful. And I'm just like, 

but I did accept his front request. In retrospect, I mean, he's made a wonderful career as a water colorist. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:08
right, 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:08
Right. 

I look at his art, he's in his 80's now. He's making the same damn pains he did. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:16
Back when you were school. 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:17
Yes. Waterfall, the whole babbling brook. I mean he's made a living off of doing these kind of idealic water scenes. And I feel like giving him 

Scott Wilde 1:04:26
me. 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:26
to 

Scott Wilde 1:04:27
See 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:28
you know you haven't grown as an artist one bit. You're still making the same damn pain because I like to see how I like to see artists. 

Scott Wilde 1:04:35
how 

Rich Bennett 1:04:37
Yeah, you have to. 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:39
If I'm still making the same art I did 20-30 years 

Scott Wilde 1:04:43
ago. Not you know 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:44
what he 

Scott Wilde 1:04:44
found bread and 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:46
butter money, 

Rich Bennett 1:04:47
bread and butter money. Yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:47
He stuck with it, it's formula that works for him and he's made a lot of money. It 

Rich Bennett 1:04:53
made even more if he would changed at the times. 

Pamela Wilde 1:04:55
I don't know but. 

Rich Bennett 1:04:58
It changes attitude. 

Pamela Wilde 1:05:01
The name was just the times too, I think he just was from a different era and 

Rich Bennett 1:05:06
Yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 1:05:06
he did look at women as you're just going to get married and all this education is a waste on you. 

But I did marry the boy next door. It 

Rich Bennett 1:05:15
Send 

Pamela Wilde 1:05:15
was good advice. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:15
him a link to this episode when he comes. 

Scott Wilde 1:05:19
I've married 

Pamela Wilde 1:05:21
over 40 years now. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:22
Wait a minute. Why? 

Pamela Wilde 1:05:24
been married over 40 years. 

Scott Wilde 1:05:25
We've

Pamela Wilde 1:05:25
I didn't marry the boy next door. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:28
How can you guys been married over 40 years when you both look like you're in your 40s? 

Scott Wilde 1:05:41
I'm approaching 70 in a few weeks. 

Rich Bennett 1:05:43
No, 

Scott Wilde 1:05:43
that 

Rich Bennett 1:05:44
get 

Scott Wilde 1:05:44
down. Pams a few years younger. I spent 35 years in the military. I think that's sort of 

having to adhere to those standards of fitness and weight and all that other good stuff. I think that adds to your 

Rich Bennett 1:06:01
Yeah, but see, I mean 

Scott Wilde 1:06:03
Actually, Pam has this portrait up in the attic of me. 

Pamela Wilde 1:06:06
yeah. 

Scott Wilde 1:06:06
That gets older, I don't. My middle name is Dorian. Dorian Gray? 

Pamela Wilde 1:06:15
No, we 

Scott Wilde 1:06:15
boys joke about that. 

But we met when I was a senior in college and Pam was a junior high school. but I was a very old senior in college because I'd already been in the army three years and 

Rich Bennett 1:06:27
Oh, 

Scott Wilde 1:06:27
got out to go to school. That's what we met. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:31
I still can't believe you're going to be 70. 

Scott Wilde 1:06:35
I only believe when I get out of bed in the morning and I crick. You 

Rich Bennett 1:06:38
sound like a bowl of rice crispies? 

Scott Wilde 1:06:40
Yeah, it's something like. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:41
Yeah, I'm the same way. Really, man! I wish the secret to keeping your hair. 

Scott Wilde 1:06:49
In this case, genetics. 

Rich Bennett 1:06:50
Oh, okay, and it's Arctic blonde too. 

Scott Wilde 1:06:56
That's 

Rich Bennett 1:06:57
what I used to call this, but after playing, it doesn't work anymore. Everybody tells me, no, it's 

Pamela Wilde 1:07:03
white. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:03
It's white here. on 

Pamela Wilde 1:07:05
You're 

Rich Bennett 1:07:05
the top. 

Scott Wilde 1:07:09
Yeah, I always hold my feet there. Your hair is good, 

Rich Bennett 1:07:10
No, 

Scott Wilde 1:07:11
no? 

Rich Bennett 1:07:11
I need 

Pamela Wilde 1:07:12
it. To 

Rich Bennett 1:07:14
me, me more. 

Pamela Wilde 1:07:15
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:18
Usually, because most people that are blind don't go white, they go gray. I think you live your 

Scott Wilde 1:07:26
red hair. 

Rich Bennett 1:07:31
Look at my father. He definitely went white, and yet I met a lot of other people I knew that were blondes when gray or platinum. 

Pamela Wilde 1:07:43
Yeah, my name was straight one platinum, it's funny, what happened? 

Rich Bennett 1:07:50
All right, so for anybody that wants to become an artist, what's the first bit of advice you would give Scott, right? 

Pamela Wilde 1:08:03
No. Find some good teachers, and there's a lot of different ways approaches to art. I'm a traditional kind of representational artist. There's a lot of different kinds of art out there. I know the younger generations, a lot of digital art now coming out. There's no getting around that either. I'm old school, I like brushes and paint. 

Rich Bennett 1:08:29
It's just something about oil paintings. The texture, you can't see that in digital art. 

Pamela Wilde 1:08:34
No, and that's a different thing about a buying original art. So when I buy a painting, or when I'm looking at art, I'm not just looking at the image of the art, I'm looking at the surface 

Rich Bennett 1:08:44
paint... 

Pamela Wilde 1:08:44
of the 

Rich Bennett 1:08:45
Yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 1:08:45
And I like to see brush work. and the brushstrokes that the artist put down. I don't even... I even like it when they leave mistakes in the painting. It's like, "Hmm." Like, the painting I bought this weekend, I've been studying it really hard and I can see where the artist... and I'm going to send him a note about the painting. I'm going to write him like a note about the painting, what I think the painting's about. But also, 

Scott Wilde 1:09:09
I can 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:10
see where he hesitated and probably stopped the painting. There's one brushstroke in there 

Scott Wilde 1:09:15
where he introduced the color, 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:17
color, which I think he's second-guessed and he said, "No, I'm done." So, even the great 

Scott Wilde 1:09:24
artist, like, 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:26
knowing when to stop a painting, too. 

Rich Bennett 1:09:30
Alright, it was oil 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:32
paintings. I just thought 

Rich Bennett 1:09:33
it was oil paintings. I've never seen anything like it. It 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:36
made me 

Rich Bennett 1:09:37
none. 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:37
think it made 

Rich Bennett 1:09:39
because of the texture and the brushstrokes and everything, 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:43
But 

Rich Bennett 1:09:43
have you ever seen or is there anybody doing it to where... let's say the theme is "the waterfall." But the texture, they're painting almost like little waterfalls in it. 

Pamela Wilde 1:09:57
Like, like, there's so much texture built up. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:00
Well, yeah, but yeah. So if you're like where the trees are, you know, you have your brushstrokes that are trees, but those brushstrokes 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:10
resemble 

Rich Bennett 1:10:11
many trees to make the big tree. You know what I'm saying? Probably not. 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:16
Yeah. Huh? 

Rich Bennett 1:10:17
Has it? I mean, you see 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:20
Almost 

Rich Bennett 1:10:21
almost 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:21
like... 

Rich Bennett 1:10:21
like... I wouldn't be 3D art. I don't even know what you would call 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:24
Well, 

Rich Bennett 1:10:24
it. 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:24
there's a lot of different mediums to this. And the 

Scott Wilde 1:10:27
other thing about 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:27
oil paint is it's very... You can make an oil painting look like a watercolor and you can make it... 

Scott Wilde 1:10:32
They have 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:32
mediums that you can 

Scott Wilde 1:10:34
add to your paint... like 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:35
wax medium. You can add to your oil paint that I'm really thicken it up so you can get those really thick and pesto 

Scott Wilde 1:10:42
brushstrokes in 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:43
there. 

Rich Bennett 1:10:44
You can add wax to it? 

Pamela Wilde 1:10:45
Yeah, it's called...it's a wax medium. So, if I in the art supply store, 

you can have all kinds of good stuff. 

Scott Wilde 1:11:00
I'm hearing this for the first time too. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:04
Oh yeah, 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:06
yeah, that's... It's just strange. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:07
That's the thing you've seen people 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:08
add to... 

Strangest things? 

Rich Bennett 1:11:12
Yeah, I mean, well no, I would have never thought of a wax. Like wax is for my mustache. 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:20
I've... 

Rich Bennett 1:11:21
Or candles. 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:23
Wax mediums. You got gel mediums. I use a lot of gel mediums. They have stuff that can 

Scott Wilde 1:11:30
help 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:31
a dry faster. They have mediums to make a dry slower depending on how you want to work. Some people like their paintings to dry faster. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:40
But you said gel mediums. The same kind of gel people use 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:44
for baking? No, no, it's an art. 

Scott Wilde 1:11:47
It's 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:47
store. 

Scott Wilde 1:11:47
an art supply 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:48
It's an art. It's an art is material. 

Rich Bennett 1:11:51
Interesting. 

Pamela Wilde 1:11:52
They make a gel form of the linseed oil, which really comes in handy when I'm plong air painting. It's one less thing to spill. 

I can just squeeze it out and 

Scott Wilde 1:12:03
it's in 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:03
thing as a liquid linseed and thin out the paint, but it's in gel form. They 

Rich Bennett 1:12:09
gel form. Same 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:10
make a galklide medium, it's a gel form that 

Rich Bennett 1:12:13
helps you do 

Scott Wilde 1:12:13
what? 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:14
And 

Rich Bennett 1:12:15
OK. 

Scott Wilde 1:12:15
And it 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:16
it 

Scott Wilde 1:12:16
helps 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:16
helps dry 

Scott Wilde 1:12:16
dry 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:16
the 

Scott Wilde 1:12:16
the 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:16
paint faster. I've been using that for plong air painting to help my paintings dry faster because 

Scott Wilde 1:12:23
paint. 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:23
plong airs are generally done in two to three hours. You don't go back into them and you want them ready to ship. Whereas a studio painting, and I'm doing a portrait, I'll probably be using a lot of mediums. I've slowed the drying process down so I can go back and make adjustments and move things around. Watercolors. 

Watercolors. It's an entirely different piece. There's another two. There's different surfaces you can buy for oil painting. 

Rich Bennett 1:12:54
Who 

Pamela Wilde 1:12:55
is it? They make a oil painting paper now, arches. The arches is known for their watercolor papers, but now they start to make an arches. Oil paper, which is primed, looks like watercolor paper, but it's primed with some kind of whatever they 

Scott Wilde 1:13:09
put it in. 

Pamela Wilde 1:13:10
So you can put oil paint on it. And it acts more like a watercolor, and it's very unforgiving. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:19
Because of watercolors you can't get the texture neither, right? Unless you're painting on a textured surface, I guess. 

Pamela Wilde 1:13:26
Watercolors, 

I'm not, you know, I've tried some watercolors and I'm just, I get 

Rich Bennett 1:13:35
goosebumps. 

Pamela Wilde 1:13:36
ah, I'm not very successful at it and I just, you know, I'm got to the point where I'm an old dog and I don't want to learn new tricks. 

Scott Wilde 1:13:43
I mean, 

Rich Bennett 1:13:44
I've seen some beautiful watercolour paintings but it's just with the oil paintings, uh, to me, you can't beat 

Pamela Wilde 1:13:54
it. 

Rich Bennett 1:13:55
I mean, I just, I like, like, it's the texture of it, the feel, you know, to me 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:02
makes 

Rich Bennett 1:14:02
that 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:03
a 

Scott Wilde 1:14:03
big 

Rich Bennett 1:14:04
difference. Different, but that's just me. I'd rather have a textured wall than a plain wall, or the world never- I'd any flaws if I do the job. 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:18
To do that myself. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:19
Yeah, that's like, uh, alright. 

Scott Wilde 1:14:20
So before 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:21
I get to my last 

Rich Bennett 1:14:21
question, is there anything 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:23
anything 

Rich Bennett 1:14:23
that 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:23
that 

Rich Bennett 1:14:24
you 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:24
you 

Rich Bennett 1:14:24
would, 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:24
would like to add? 

Rich Bennett 1:14:26
Besides telling everybody to buy your 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:28
artwork. Right now I'm painting for the Maryland Center for the Arts and their Hartford County Planner event and there'll be a show at the Armory in September. I'm not quite sure the dates. Um, so there's about 30 artists that have come into town. I'm one of them who are paintings scenes all over Hartford County. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:47
Oh! 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:48
And Summer. Okay. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:49
Okay. 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:49
And all that artwork will be on display at the Armory in September. 

Rich Bennett 1:14:53
Oh, oh, behind the 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:56
Armory in the- no, at the Armory. 

Scott Wilde 1:14:58
So, 

Pamela Wilde 1:14:59
um, 

Rich Bennett 1:15:00
hmm. I know there's a book festival, a book fair there in September. Is there an artist fair too? 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:05
Uh, Maryland Center for the Arts is going to have their exhibition there. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:09
Yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:10
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:10
I didn't 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:10
know that. It's like two or three days. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:14
I 

love going there for different. Any time 

Scott Wilde 1:15:21
there's anything there for always. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:24
Sometimes it's both- I just 

Scott Wilde 1:15:26
love going 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:27
there 

Rich Bennett 1:15:28
with them. Seeing this stuff. 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:28
Seeing what's up there. I know I like to see what the people are doing and, 

Rich Bennett 1:15:31
yeah. 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:32
It's a nice show. So 

Rich Bennett 1:15:35
my last 

Scott Wilde 1:15:35
question. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:38
That's not. Who is your favorite artist? And it cannot be yourself. 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:44
Living 

Rich Bennett 1:15:44
And what? 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:45
or dead. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:46
Either or both. You know what both? Two favorite artists. One 

Scott Wilde 1:15:49
dead. 

Rich Bennett 1:15:49
living one 

Pamela Wilde 1:15:54
John Singer Sergeant for his beautiful portrait work. Fabulous. Artist. There was nothing that that man could not paint. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:02
Okay. 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:04
artists? 

Scott Wilde 1:16:05
Is 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:05
Living 

Scott Wilde 1:16:05
there anything you want to say about sitting out there? Living 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:05
artists? 

Rose Frandsen. She's out of Iowa and she's the artist that did portraits of Makokata that inspired- 

Rich Bennett 1:16:16
To 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:17
take on portraits of having a great 

Rich Bennett 1:16:19
artist. 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:19
So I was heavily influenced by Rose and she's unbelievable. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:27
I thought for sure you're going to say your husband. 

G. I. Joe's is a true 

Pamela Wilde 1:16:35
art. I am like so. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:38
Pay him, Scott. I want to thank you both. The doors all- you have 

Scott Wilde 1:16:43
to come on again. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:50
That's just amazing. 

Scott Wilde 1:16:52
I've already been podcasted by the G. I. Joe community. 

Rich Bennett 1:16:55
Really? Actually, have you guys started being starring your own together? 

Pamela Wilde 1:17:01
podcast? 

Rich Bennett 1:17:01
Yeah. 

Scott Wilde 1:17:04
Not really. 

Rich Bennett 1:17:08
Thank you for listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and learned something from it as I did. If you'd like to hear more conversations like this, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have a moment, I'd love it if you can leave a review. It helps us reach more listeners and share more incredible stories. Don't forget to connect with us on social media or visit our website at conversationswithrichbent.com for updates, giveaways and more. Until next time, take care. Be kind and keep the conversations going. It takes a lot to put a podcast together. And my sponsors help add a lot. But I also have some supporters that actually help me when it comes to the editing software, the hosting and so forth. There's a lot that goes into putting this together. So I want to thank them and if you can please, please visit their websites, visit their businesses, support them however you can. So please visit the following. Real-life Real life prosthetics, cutting edge solutions, restoring ability since 2001, go to reallifeprostetics.com. Full Full circle boards, nobody does charcuterie, like full circle boards, visit them at fullcircleboards.com. Sincerely, Sincerely soya photography, live in the moment, they'll capture it, visit them at sincerelysoya.com.