Pamela Smith Bickford was born in Lyons, New York, and spent her early years on the family's 75 acre apple orchard. The family moved to the scenic mid-Hudson Valley when Pam was five. She caught the "horse bug" at the age of eleven, when she started riding at a horse farm in the small village of Stanfordville, New York. This childhood passion continued for the next ten years, riding horses and working summers on a horse farm in the beautiful countryside of Dutchess County. The rustic, working horse farm in its beautiful pastoral setting, combined with many and varied childhood memories, are reflected in most of her paintings. Pam continues to make new equestrian memories at her sister's farm in the rolling countryside of Bluemont, Virginia where she stables and rides her Hanoverian mare.
Pam's father built a 40' cabin cruiser before she was even born, and took Pam and her mostly-older six siblings (along with the current pet dog and cat!) out on many month-long journeys along the Atlantic coastline. One memorable trip was a visit to Chincoteaque Island to watch the wild ponies swim the channel on Pony Penning Day. They also spent many happy days off Block Island, flounder fishing, rowing, beachcombing, and sailing.
Pam has always been completely enamored with drawing. She found it much easier to express her deepest feelings through pictures than words. She did not realize till the age of 21 that she needed eyeglasses - it wasn't until that point that she realized all the detail she had been missing all those childhood years - everything had so much more texture than she had ever seen! Pam could now see every blade of grass, something she never realized everyone else saw all along. Perhaps that is why she so loves painting in tiny dots. Dots have so much texture and movement. The paint is not mixed - instead she chooses to place the colors next to each other and let the eye mix the color optically in true divisionistic form. These dots are layered upon each other for depth, dimension, and vibrancy.
Everything Bickford paints has a great deal of personal meaning for her. It has never been about how many paintings can be completed, but rather that each piece can precisely reflect its intended message. And, that each of her paintings say without words that which she longs to convey.