Pamela Bliss
Pamela studied studio art as an undergraduate and also received a master’s degree in arts administration. Working almost exclusively on commission and specializing in realistic portraiture using a traditional oil painting technique, she is best known for her large-scale mural work, as is aptly illustrated by her five-story Reggie Miller mural in downtown Indianapolis.
Art Pieces
Location in Fieldhouse: Key Bank Suites Level
Slick Cubed, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Pacers history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Inspired by the quirky Cubist style of Pablo Picasso, Bliss showcases Bobby “Slick” Leonard’s colorful persona and multi-faceted career as a player, coach, and color commentator and his now-classic phrase, “Boom Baby!”
Pacers Allegory, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Pacers history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Inspired by the dramatic figure style of Baroque artists like Caravaggio and Paolo de Matteis, Bliss collages Pacers players from different eras into a single scene, painted in rich, dark colors and contrasting tones of light and shadow.
The Art of the Choke, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Pacers history into the style of well- known icons from art history. In this piece, Bliss imagines what the celebrity-focused artist Andy Warhol might have done had he encountered the now-classic image of Reggie Miller trash-talking Spike Lee.
Impressionable Larry, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Pacers history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Because Larry Bird left a great impression on the Pacers organization as its head coach and, later, as president of basketball operations, Bliss chose to depict him in the style of the French Impressionists and, more specifically, using the groundbreaking style of Vincent van Gogh.
Golden Girl, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Fever history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Bliss was inspired by the textural and gold-forward style of Gustav Klimt to depict Tamika Catchings, the Fever’s “golden girl,” in an iconic pose. Catchings, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, led the Fever to the 2012 WNBA championship and is one of the few players in men’s and women’s basketball history to win an Olympic Gold Medal along with championships at the high school, college, and professional levels.
Champions, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss’s Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Fever history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Inspired by Baroque still life artists like Pieter de Ring, Bliss creates a thoughtful still life of the Fever’s 2012 championship trophy combined with other elements, each with both a literal and a symbolic meaning.
The Surreal Moment, 2022
Write Up of Piece: Bliss's Iconic Moments series casts familiar images from Fever history into the style of well- known icons from art history. Bliss was inspired by the style of Salvador Dali to dedpict Reggie Miller's unbelievable and surreal moment when he scored 8 point in 8.9 seconds. This remains one of the most memorable performances in NBA history.