DAVIES Pamela
Pamela Davies (right), sister Kerry Davies (left) CBC News posted 5 April 2018.
“I come from a family of creative people, as both my parents were artists. As a kid, I was always in my room drawing. When my friends would come over to play, it was a while before I’d even know they were there, as my mom would be sketching them.” Pam Davies quoted in National Post, 17 September 2023.
Daughter of Will Davies, she was born and raised in Scarborough. She studied and graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design when her father taught there.
She hired on at the Toronto Sun where Andy Donato gave her tasks illustrating for various sections of the paper. “Andy Donato was a great boss who … constantly gave me opportunities,” such as illustrating for various sections of the paper.” She stayed with the paper for more than thirty years and was Assistant Art Director for more than ten.
Her first job in court illustrating was sketching nurse Susan Nelles who it turned out was wrongfully arrested and charged that she had killed several babies at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Probably her most difficult assignment was sketching at the Paul Bernardo murder trial. She wore ear plugs to block out the horrific evidence but was still deeply troubled. Her objectives in drawing court room scenes were first to get a good likeness, second to make the scene tell a story and third to create a piece of art. These goals sound like those of a portraitist.
WORK:
ILLUSTRATOR:
PERIODICAL TEXT :
Content article & Cover front:
Maclean’s, 28 August 1995: “In His Own Defense”. Writ., D’Arcy Jenish: 36-37, 38, 39
NEWSPAPER:
NEWSPAPER:
Content book review:
| The Expositor [Brantford] … |
| … 19 March 2011: “Crime fiction with a twist”. Writ., Joan Barfoot: C2.
… 26 August 2011: “Hidden Diana”. Writ., Nancy Schiefer: C4. … 15 October 2011: “Out of myth”. Writ., A.S. Byatt: D9. …16 December 2011: “Dead obsession”. Writ., Peter Robinson: C7. … 4 February 2012: “A life of Bliss”. Writ., Writ., Nancy Schiefer: D4. |
Content trial reports:
| The Expositor [Brantford] … |
| … 7 June 2012: “Accused killer worked with Toronto kids”. Writ., D. Peat: A5.
… 15 Dec. 2014: Daughter guilty of mother’s murder”. Writ., T. McLaughlin: A6. … 21 March 2015: “Guilty verdicts in VIA terror trial”. Writ., S. Pazzano: A10. |
SOURCE:
Article newspaper:
National Post, 17 September 2023: “Sketch artist chronicles the macabre as justice plays out in Canada’s court rooms.” Writ., Rita DeMontis.
Toronto Sun, 10 April 2018: “Canadian illustrator gets stamp of approval”. Writ., Liz Braun.
GALLERY:
Dellen Millard, who represented himself at his 2017 trial for killing Laura Babcock, addresses the jury. The photo of her work was taken by Pam Davies and used in National Post, 17 September 2023.
Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier appear before Justice Michael Code in July 2015. They were found guilty of a combined eight terrorism charges in a plot to derail a passenger train travelling between Canada and the U.S. The photo of her work was taken by Pam Davies and used in National Post, 17 September 2023.
Maclean’s 28 August 1995: Front cover.