About the Artist
Pamela Palmer is a true craftsman in
the art of millinery, incorporating both traditional designs and techniques
with the finest modern materials to ensure a truly unique, lasting product.
As a young girl, she had the benefit of growing up among master weavers who
cultivated her creative spirit, and encouraged her to pursue a Fine Arts
Degree in weaving and textile design. Pamela discovered her passion for
millinery unexpectedly, when she decided she wanted more than just a beret.
After experimenting with texture and style, she felt there was much more to
a hat,
than just the form of a beret.
As Pamela's interest in specialty
hats increased, she became involved in theater and costume design. She
participated in exclusive workshops from theater departments, runway
designers, and fiber artists, adding new skills and ideas to her evolving
art. Wanting to create a historically accurate design, she began collecting
hat blocks and traditional materials to experiment with. Pamela quickly
learned that the size of the human head has evolved, and that hats formed on
antique blocks would not fit the majority of heads today! Wanting to create
a practical hat that could be worn comfortably, she learned to make her own
custom blocks.
Pamela found that hats were welcomed
into a small cross section of society. Perfecting her art at a time when
milliners had closed their doors and supply houses were difficult to find,
she searched to find her elite clientele. The discovery of the Society for
Creative Anachronism changed the way Pamela looked at hats. The SCA is
dedicated to the study and recreation of pre-seventeenth century European
history. Researching the history of hats and studying the master painters
of the era, she started to experiment with historical designs for
Renaissance faires and even costuming for other areas like science fiction.
From the SCA, she started selling her hats at Renaissance Faires.
Concentrating on Elizabethan styles, she found an elite niche with both
actors and avid reenactors participating in this exciting activity.
Concerns continued to arise with the
choice of materials used, as the reenactors and actors were constantly
exposed to the rugged outdoor elements. Hats for those working outside day
after day required special needs traditional materials just could not meet.
Considering the demands placed on the headgear of actors during a season of
sun, dust, and rain (not to mention being knocked from a horse and trampled
on), the traditional milliner's buckram was replaced with a more durable
material. Most hats offered by La Paloma, unless stated, are made using
modern materials that are light weigh, will maintain their shape, and stand
up to the elements.
Pamela can be found at
Renaissance Faires selling and demonstrating her fine line of custom hats.
She has also continued her education in the arts through work on an MFA.
Any additional questions to Ms. Palmer may be submitted via email to this
website. Thank you for visiting! |
