International Award-winning Artist Pamela Davis-Lumley

found her creative direction at an early age— her first professional sales occurred at the age of ten when she sold sketches in the park “to buy a horse.” She eventually did get the horse. She also got recognition in both the USA and abroad for her sensitive portrayals of animals and people, and her command over the mystery of infusing a rare sense of life and personality into her works of art.

While attending the University of Texas with a double major in art and music, Pamela illustrated books for a major publisher. Freelance since then, she has developed her own style of classic realism based on years of study and practice of the methods and mediums of the Old Masters, such as the grinding of powdered pigments to make paints.

The quality of her work has attracted clients from Chevron Oil to the owners of many champion horses and dogs. People whose animals are beloved members of their families love the way her portraits capture the inner spirit and unique character of each subject. Her artwork has appeared in many major horse magazines, "Aviation Week and Space Technology," The cover of "Dog World" and on numerous covers and illustrations for "Pastime Illustrated" travel magazine. Her paintings can be found in collections across the USA, England and Europe, including the permanent collection of The International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky.

As a photo-journalist, she covered the 1976 Olympic Equestrian Events for "Western Horseman." In 2016, she edited and published the book, "How California Chrome Changed My Life," which features her portrait of the famous racehorse on the cover.

Both Pamela's equine and aviation art have won international awards in a variety of mediums, including traditional oil painting, charcoal, pastel and Chinese brush painting. She is also a recipient of the EAA international McKillop Editor’s Award. Her aviation art has been exhibited at Canada’s national aviation museum, and The Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, and was selected for a special exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Other juried aviation exhibits include the Museum of Flight in Georgia, the Simuflite/Flying Magazine Horizons of Flight competition in Texas and the Aviation Miniature Art Exhibition in New Jersey. Her painting "Home for a Moment" received the highest honor of Par Excellence at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s international Aviation Art Competition. One of her paintings depicting the first helicopter lift-off from a ship at sea was presented to the pilot on the occasion of his induction into the Navy Hall of Honor in Pensacola, Florida.

Regarding her choice of subjects, Pamela says that both horses and flying have a sense of magic and awesome power about them, plus a spirit of fun and adventure. Regardless of the subject portrayed, her mission with every work of art is for the viewer to share the emotions that inspired her to create it in the first place.

Artist’s Statement

Drawing is something I have naturally done for as long as I can remember. My childhood drawings and paintings created a private world I could escape into, and to this day, I will still get lost in a painting, and lose all track of time’s passing as I work.

Starting in high school, I did freelance graphic art jobs to support my horse, and to buy my trombone for the band. In college, I illustrated vocational training textbooks, created logos and brochures for Texas state agencies, and lettered the names on the diplomas for the University of Texas law school.

While illustration and graphic arts were a means to an end for me, painting animals was what really made my heart sing. I just didn’t think my paintings would provide a good way to make a living until I got a job at the local race track grooming, and then exercising race horses. Morning workouts at the track start at about 5 a.m., and you finish taking care of the horses by 10 or so. Then you’re off until the races start in the afternoon. I used my time off drawing scenes backside in the stable area.   

A jockey noticed what I was doing, and said, “Wow, that’s good— could you come draw my favorite horse?” “Sure,” I said. A small crowd gathered to watch as I stood sketching outside the jockey’s stall. Several people asked for me to come draw their horses when I was finished. Since that day in 1970, there have only been a couple of days I didn’t have a back log of portrait commissions. The jockey’s name, by the way, was Angel.

“Classic Lines” is the name I chose for my art business back in 1970, because at the time I was doing mostly calligraphy, and ink line drawings in the style of Old Master engravings, and many of my subjects were pedigreed animals (which gave the name a sort of double meaning). “Gallery” was added to the name for this online business because, in addition to my own artworks, I plan to offer vintage sculpture, prints and other art objects I think will appeal to those of you who are attracted to the style of my work. Thank you for visiting my first online gallery!