Pachamama: Art takes many forms from many sources

Pachamama:

Art takes many forms from many sources

by Summer Stevens

In 2019, Cameron McCubbins took a trip to Peru that changed her life.

“I don’t know what happened, but I came home from there and said, ‘I want to be an artist.’”

Inspiration happens like that. Sometimes it provokes, sometimes it clarifies. After working for 15 years as a nurse, McCubbins realized she needed a change. Although she had finally achieved her goal of being a hospice nurse, it wasn’t satisfying to her anymore. The beauty of nature called to her.

“For two years, it seemed like I woke up before sunrise at least five days a week.” She started capturing stunning sunrise and sunset photos, and other people started to notice. “Anyone can take pictures,” she said to herself.

“Yes,” her mother reminded her, “but you have an eye for it.”

So she bought a “real” camera and started shooting nature, but also architectural elements like windows and doors. And because McCubbins is not only an artist at heart but also a thrifter, she started combing thrift stores for frames with mats, transforming the frames through layers of paint, sanding and more paint. Turquoise, blues and greens emerge in her artwork. “Color is definitely one of my main components,” she said of her use of bright colors.

“Part of my thing, in my creativity, is to find objects, putting them together, upcycling, recycling. Those neighborhood cleanups they have? Those are two of my favorite times of the year!”

Upcycling and recycling everyday household items are recurring themes in McCubbins’ work. She uses glass Oui yogurt cups to make candles with soy wax and essential oils. In one design, she layers strips of brightly colored torn tissue paper and adds a layer of Mod Podge to create an image like a mountain range.

Last year she pulled out a storage bin of jar lids that she’d saved over the years and made hand painted Christmas ornaments. She is also experimenting with maracas made from orange juice lids, colored duct tape and dried beans. “I’ll say to my husband, look what I made out of that! That stuff you thought I should throw away,” she laughed.

Like any art form, there’s a risk in putting yourself out there. “Are people going to think these are weird?” she’s asked herself. “I’m my own worst critic. It has been interesting to accept what I’m making and compliment myself. It’s a learning process.”

For McCubbins, that learning process has brought tremendous joy. Her artwork draws people – some who admire, some who purchase, some who share their own travel stories or upcycled artwork ideas. She values the conversations with new people and the opportunity to share the work that she loves. “I have this one photo that I took of ladies in the central square of Peru. No one has ever bought it but people come up all the time and ask me about it.”

So let’s get back to Peru. For McCubbins, it was magical. Mysterious.

Summer Stevens photo

Top: Cameron McCubbins with several of her photography pieces and hand painted frames. Above: Custom, hand painted Christmas ornaments made using recycled jar lids.

Summer Stevens photo

Top: Cameron McCubbins makes custom, hand painted Christmas ornaments using recycled jar lids. Above: An old football transformed into a creative hanging planter.

She even had a strangely prophetic dream about a boat made out of reeds, before she planned her visit to the town that makes everything – including boats – out of reeds. But more than just the landscape, the people possessed a calm strength that appealed to McCubbins. Peru sparked a creative fire that had been buried for a while.

When she returned home and began getting serious about art, what better name than Pachamama, which loosely translates as Mother Earth. “It’s fun, it’s fun to say,” she said, but more importantly, it takes her back to the place that inspired her.

Children are particularly attracted her artwork. They like the bright colors, the animals and the use of everyday materials. “It’s so fun. That wondrous creativity, no rules,” she said. When she enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond after high school, it was to become an elementary art teacher. Though she didn’t graduate and went instead into the healthcare field, that desire has come full circle, as children often come up to her booth at farmer’s market to look at her creations. “They’ll look at my stuff and we’ll talk and then tell me what they made at school with water bottles.” She is able to enjoy, teach and inspire children, just as she dreamed about so many years ago.

This summer she’ll by busy at various art markets in the Outer Banks including the Dowdy Park Farmer’s Market in Nags Head, First Flight Market in Kill Devil Hills, The Coastal Gardening Festival at the Baum Center and Rock the Cape event in Rodanthe. Her son is into skimboarding, so she’s experimenting more with action shots.

Regardless of where McCubbins’ art takes her, she will be exploring with her eyes wide open, looking for the next opportunity to highlight the unique, from majestic sunrises on the beach to recycled orange juice lids. “There’s so much beauty all around us,” she said.

Find Cameron McCubbins on Instagram at @pachamamaobx, on Facebook at Pachamama Productions or email her at pachamamaobx@gmail.com. 