Ruth Ann Pangborn

Midland artist Ruth Ann Pangborn changes the mundane into individual works of art as she paints. She does her decorative painting on a variety of surfaces using oils and acrylics. Often, she chooses items that are useful: coasters, planters, wooden boxes, lamps, placemats, shelves, benches, and small furniture. Pangborn also loves doing seasonal items and still life oil paintings.  “Part of the reason I paint useful things and old things is my interest in history. I love antiques and looking for antiques. There is something about making things useful again,” says Pangborn. This hunt for old things is represented in her business name: Pak Rat.

She has also been a successful businesswoman with her artwork. She operated her own shop for almost a decade in Blanchard, Michigan, at Loafer’s Glory. “Pak Rat and Friends” was a gift shop filled with all hand-crafted items. “We had my work and that of 11 other consignees,” she says.  “With a friend, I also started and hosted the ‘Crafters Corner Boutique’ in my home for nine years, which was always held on the second weekend in November,” says Pangborn. “In fact, this is where I first had the pleasure of meeting some of the ladies who make up Imagine That!”

For 15 years, Pangborn has belonged to the National Society of Decorative Painters and to Flint’s Valley Tole and Decorative Artists. She has served on jurying committees for several arts and craft shows.