Pamela Jane Betowski was born in London 1952. She studied a Foundation Course in Art & Design at Hornsey College of Art, gained a BA in Fine Art from Portsmouth Polytechnic and an ATD and PGCE from Birmingham University. She subsequently taught textiles, art, music and worked as a musician and composer. She has had an article about her double Weaving published in British Fibre Art Magazine and exhibits her scarves and wall hangings at the Penwith Gallery, St Ives, Cornwall. She now weaves handwoven textiles and art pieces on her 8 shaft loom in her West Cornwall Studio.
"I began shaft loom weaving in 2018 and was immediately hooked - so quite late in life, although I had always dabbled in various Fibre based activities and had taught textiles in a London comprehensive school in the late 70s. I was excited to try as many various weave structures and fibres as possible but pretty soon discovered Double-weave, a weave structure that I am constantly researching and returning to alongside my simpler scarves. I am largely self taught in weaving techniques, learning from books and the Jane Stafford online guild. My background, a Foundation Course in Art & Design followed by a B.A in Fine Art/painting has undoubtedly influenced my approach to weaving, for me it is a method of creating visual fields and compositions using interacting interlocking coloured threads. Many of my double weave wall hanging designs are concerned with creating optical illusions, to which Doubleweave lends itself well as it is possible to create areas of pure colour."
“I am fascinated by the interaction of threads of different colours and textures, in weaving and in particular by double weave with its unique possibilities for interplay between two layers of varying colours. As a former musician and composer I find many parallels in weaving - in texture, form and in the rhythm of the process of weaving in which coloured threads flow from the shuttle like notes.”
Pamela Jane Betowski has also spent much of her life as a jazz violinist, folk fiddler, vocalist, music teacher, multi instrumentalist and composer. She has performed widely – venues include The National Theatre and the Albert Hall. Her music has been played on Radio and Television. She has also written music for film and is author of ‘The Gypsy Jazz Melody Book’ for violin. She has also taught fiddle in Adult Education and worked as a Violin tutor at Falmouth University.
