Pam Shank is our TriangleMom2Mom mom of the week. She is a mom of two and a professional portrait artist in Raleigh who specializes in children. Her work was recently on The Ellen DeGeneres Show!

Here's more from Pam:

Mom2Mom: Tell us about yourself.

Pam: I have lived in the Raleigh area almost all of my life – went to Broughton and then to UNC at Chapel Hill, where I received a BFA in Painting. I studied traditional oil portraiture in New York and then came home to begin work in oil portraits. Along with the portraits, I painted landscape and still-life watercolors, which were sold through galleries and agents. When I became pregnant with my first daughter, I decided to stop using the toxic oil paint and thinners and switched completely to watercolors. I discovered that watercolors were the perfect medium for portraits of children.

Meanwhile, I had a second daughter and continued my painting in my home studio amidst all the toys and confusion of having two toddlers around. As the girls started preschool, I used my time on those precious quiet mornings to paint commissions. I divorced when my daughters were 4 and 6 and began the tough task of being a stay-at-home mom and a working mom, racing to my studio in downtown Raleigh while they were in school and then taking care of them at home in the afternoons. I was so exhausted that I would fall asleep in the carpool lane!

My girls and I have had an incredible journey as a threesome, getting through some real challenges and learning some of life’s hard lessons but always sticking together. I’ve had the privilege of working with many wonderful families to create hundreds of portraits – my portfolios go back many years – I’m even working now with young kids of children I painted in my early career!

My Web site, www.pamshankportraits.com, shows examples of portrait commissions, both in oils and in watercolor. Some of the most challenging portraits have been those with several children and with pets – it’s like putting a giant puzzle together to create a composition which includes the best elements of my photographs of them.

There is a link to a funny clip from the Ellen show on my Web site – my daughter posted it after I sent Ellen a couple of paintings and she featured them on her show. I did it just for fun and because Ellen is so uplifting and – surprise – she showed them to the audience!

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite family place in the Triangle?

Pam: One of our favorite family places in the Triangle is First Fridays at Artspace. Since I have had a studio at Artspace for many years, my girls and I have spent many evenings together in my studio on the First Friday of every month, enjoying the live music, changing exhibits, and mostly the crowd that wanders through the building visiting the artists’ studios. We almost always see familiar faces and have fun catching up. My youngest daughter has her own spot on the wall in my studio where she penciled in her height beginning in elementary school. I will never paint over that wall!

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite place for yourself?

Pam: Being a single mom and a homeowner, I usually head for my favorite place, Lowe’s in Cary, when I am looking for something interesting to do for myself. Not exactly your spa atmosphere! But it gets me fired up to do creative things in my house and yard and I’m fascinated by all the gizmos and lumber and plants and tools (and wall paint!).

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite ritual with your kids?

Pam: We have always loved board games, so when my daughters and I want to have some family fun we will order Chinese takeout and crack open the games and invite friends and family over. This is our “tradition” at holidays and birthdays. One of our favorites is “Cranium" which becomes quite hilarious when we get going!

Mom2Mom: What did you eat for dinner last night? Can you share the recipe?

Pam: The City Market fresh produce stand, right next door to Artspace, is my source for fresh vegetables. Usually I will combine a number of them to make a super veggie plate for dinner and add simple fish or chicken. One of my favorite dishes is to make “Salmon Cakes” using any crabcake recipe, substituting diced fresh or frozen salmon for the crab.

Mom2Mom: What's your guilty pleasure?

Pam: My guilty pleasure? I buy those low-fat low-sugar frozen ice cream bars, with chocolate, and I always, ALWAYS eat at least 2 of them at a time!

If you know a mom we should feature, e-mail me. And learn about other local moms at www.trianglemom2mom.com/meet and by checking back here every Monday.