Women artists: UTah Artists Hands exhibit celebrates womanhood, female perspectives

Pam O'Mara, founder of UTah Artists Hands (UTAH), has been busy.

She's demolished walls, painted for hours and spent every spare minute expanding her cozy gallery, 61 W. 100 South, to house a coffee shop that she shares with next-door neighbor Café Molise.

Even though the work has left her with aching limbs and a sore back, she has dreamed about it since quitting her job in 2002.

To celebrate, O'Mara will present her first all-women's show at the UTAH gallery through June 15 featuring art from Randee Levine, M'lisa Paulsen, Dottie Miles, Roberta Glidden and Judy Maryon.

"I thought it would be nice to show the diversity women have in their paintings. They all have such different styles," O'Mara said. "Plus, it's my birthday in May; plus, it's Mother's Day and I just felt like celebrating womanhood."

Her passion for local artists began when she was an interior designer and fell in love with the pieces by Utah artists.

"I was an interior decorator for years and I used to try to place local art in people's homes," O'Mara said, "and by doing that, I became really enamored with several of the local artists."

After spending her free time promoting the artists in whom she believed, O'Mara said she realized her true calling was to create a space for artists to interact with the community and to gain exposure.

"People enjoy buying something more if they know the artist, and that's why artists do so well at art festivals, because they get to put a face with the work," O'Mara said.

"It's always been really important to me that people who come in here leave feeling as if they know the artist on a personal level."

O'Mara said she applies a local-only philosophy to every facet of her business, even selling local products served in pottery made by Utah artists at her new café addition, The Artful Cup.

Local talent is the heart of O'Mara's business, and the convergence of local women for her latest exhibit is no exception. O'Mara said the reason she is interested in art from a woman's perspective is because she sees a great need for women to express themselves.

"I've done lots of theme-type shows before, where there were several different artists with a common theme, so those all went together well," O'Mara said. "This was the first time I was really just after highlighting women and the diverse nature of their art."