There are moments in life that come and go before we even realize we’ve missed them. However, Pamela Stolz does not let these moments pass–rather she captures them in her paintings. In an interview with the artist, Stolz explains how she is constantly seeing the world around her in paintings. With an artist eye for composition, lighting, and stroke, Stolz knows just the right moments to capture, acting as a sort of “documentary painter”. This is illustrated in her piece The Garden, which documents a seemingly uneventful moment in her grandparents backyard located in Worcester, MA. Her style as a documentary painter allows her to freeze these moments in time as if they were photographs and share with the viewer all that is special about them. In fact, Stolz spends up to 10-12 hours on every piece working out of her grandsparent’s old home–one that holds many memories for her including the one captured in The Garden. Her evocative angles and attention to lighting, especially in Payam, harkens to the style of Edward Hopper, American realist painter most known for his depictions of individuals within modern urban settings. Hopper has always been an inspiration for Stolz, she says. Through her photographic-like paintings, Stolz’s work communicates a sense familiarity yet simultaneously a feeling of nostalgia. Her work reminds us of how precious even the most seemingly mundane moments can be.