Pam Hawkes was born in Birmingham. She studied fine art at Coventry University/Solihull College gaining a bachelor’s degree.This was followed by a period of time at the University of Central England where she graduated in 1998 with a MA in Fine Art. She went on to teach art as a visiting lecturer at Wolverhampton University and Solihull College before becoming a full time painter.

Pam Hawkes art works have their roots within the traditions of Renaissance portraiture. At a technical level, her paintings are remarkable. Typically she produces highly skilled depictions of sitters within exotic, lush and decadent settings. Despite the use of sitters, her paintings are not traditional portraiture as we know it. The work involves storytelling, myths and religious iconography which richly translate on to the canvas. Richly worked and exquisitely realistic images offer up fragments, broken or mirrored reflections, or self-absorbed likeness of exquisite young women and men.

Talking about her art work Pam says: "The characters in my paintings don't readily give away their stories; their histories of desire and love. But it is a seductive world that they seem to hint at, a place of myth-making and mystery. They invite us in at some level to speculate on the idealised memories of their lives and to give a second thought to the half forgotten fables we each collect and carry through our own world."

Pam Hawkes paintings are a wonderful combination of today and the medieval. This strong appeal of old and new has resulted in a world wide appreciation of her work. She has won several prestigious awards and exhibited in many group and solo shows throughout Europe and America since 1996.