Manitou Springs-based mixed media artist Pamela Pappas will showcase 25 pieces of her original work at Olio on Dec. 5 in downtown Mancos.

Pappas, a multimedia artist with a penchant for oils and sculpting, says she has manifested her love for art since she could pick up a paintbrush. She trained at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville and then at the Rocky Mountain School of Art and Design in Denver. She’s worked as a graphic designer and muralist but says her preferred mediums are sculpting and oil painting.

Pappas’ bright, vibrant and semi-surrealist paintings utilize light and color to bring out character and feeling in simple shapes and themes like animals, dwellings and landscapes. Her work is inspired by the abundant natural beauty in Colorado, especially its rural enclaves and rolling landscapes.

After years in Denver, Pappas made the move to the small, community-oriented mountain town of Manitou Springs. She says the move has allowed her to get more in touch with the elements that inspire her work.

“I think if anything, it connected me with nature. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I really like to hike and be outside. So it brought me more into landscapes and the outdoors,” Pappas said.

Pappas’ artist reception is Dec. 5 at Olio from 4 to 6 p.m.

Her work will be on display at Olio from Dec. 5 to Jan. 31.

Olio is at 114 West Grand Avenue in Mancos.