Pamela Larsson-Tosher is an American painter. Born in Seattle, Washington, to deaf parents, she moved with her missionary family to Kingston, Jamaica. Encouraged by Kingston’s creative community, Larsson studied with Jamaica’s leading artist, Mr. Barrington Watson, who later founded the Jamaica College of Art. While her parents didn’t support her artistic pursuits, Larsson’s talent was celebrated- winning awards and showing in galleries at 14 years old.
In the 1960s, Larsson left Jamaica for Seattle and then San Francisco. There her life blossomed. She began a friendship with Shel Silverstein (author of the classic book, “The Giving Tree”) who introduced her to the creative movers and shakers of the time.
Although Larsson’s life was changing fast, she remained committed to two of the talents that came naturally to her: working with the deaf and painting. She became a court interpreter and set up the Deaf Services Program at Cal State Hayward. She continued to paint and study art, eventually settling in Santa Barbara in 1978.
Through her initial studies with Mr. Barrington Watson, and later with Raymond Saunders, Bela Bacsi and Jan Valentine Saether, she developed an understanding of abstract expressionism, sculpture, and Old Masters techniques. Saether gave Larsson a recipe for a medium Velasquez used, which Larsson still uses today. This education formed a foundation and ultimately, a departure point for where her work would go.
Larsson is represented by galleries internationally and also enjoys exhibiting at regional museums. Larsson’s influences include Valasquez, Caravagio, Sargent and the above mentioned Saunders and Saether. Her working motto is, "Face your fears with intelligence."
She has a daily routine that revolves around painting. Her work is about beauty, storytelling, and escapism. Stylistically, Larsson’s work is best described as Realism Reimagined.