Photo courtesy of the Office of Visual Media, IUSM Photo courtesy of the Office of Visual Media, IUSM Former Pacer Darnell Hillman (right) is a consultant for IUPUI artist Pamela Bliss as she works on a mural at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

then 2, drew what was easily recognized as a picture of a turkey.

Bliss remembers her mother saying that Bliss would often “zone out.”

For days at a time, “I would grab pencil and paper and draw for hours,” Bliss said, recalling her mother’s family stories. “That was my passion. That was my escape.”

Years later, Bliss’ father, a manufacturing engineer, would insist that she master high school math. But today, the artist and the mathematician are one.

Bliss, who “daylights” as an administrative assistant in the Office of Student Life and Diversity at IUPUI, is making a name for herself creating realistic murals that honor heroes, celebrate achievements or pay tribute to days gone by.

Her large-scale works of art, including a 19-foot by 14-foot montage Bliss created in Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, reflect her skills with the numbers, as well as the paints and brushes required to pull off her bigger-than-life creations.

“I never thought I would ever use algebra, but I used basic algebra in my murals. You have to do measurements when you work in large scale,” said Bliss, who also teaches painting, ceramics and other fine arts at the IU East campus in Richmond.

The Conseco painting, unveiled this past summer, features portraits and action figures of former Indiana Pacer stars Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and George McGinnis, and their coach Bobby, “Slick” Leonard, the only individuals to have their numbers retired by the NBA team.

Located near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pavilion on the main concourse of Conseco Fieldhouse, the mural is part of the Pacers’ ongoing effort to pay tribute to the history of Indiana basketball, said Jeff Johnson, a spokesman for Pacers Sports and Entertainment.

The Pacers hired Bliss to paint the mural after viewing the 18-inch by 24-inch portrait of Reggie Miller she painted in hopes of realizing her dream of having her work on display at the home of the Pacers and the WBA’s Indiana Fever.

“I thought, ‘If I could get in there, that would be something,’” said Bliss, recalling her motivation for moving to Indianapolis from Richmond.

Bliss’ Richmond portfolio includes public murals that feature images of jazz greats such as Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael in celebration of that city’s ties to the world of jazz.

The New Castle native already has dreams of capturing the likeness of at least one Indianapolis jazz great on a local wall.

“I love jazz,” Bliss said. “Next year, I’m going to paint a mural of Wes Montgomery” somewhere, she added.

Bliss, who holds a general studies degree with an emphasis in fine arts from IU East, estimates she spent up to 600 hours creating the Pacers’ mural. Early stages of the project included building the moveable wall that serves as a canvas so that the painting can be moved or expanded without damaging the original work. Space will be available for any future player or staff whose number may be retired by the team, Johnson said.

Former Pacer Darnell Hillman, who suggested Bliss paint the Miller portrait as a sort of calling card for the Conseco job, is serving as a consultant on the project, helping ensure that the colors Bliss mixes for painting the retired uniforms are authentic.

“I’m working from black-and-white photos. I have to translate (them) into color. I also will try to get the truest skin tones,” said Bliss, who has met Daniels, McGinnis, Leonard and Brown’s widow.

“Roger Brown’s widow gave me the only color pictures she had of Roger so that I could get the skin tones right.”

The Conseco project was a Bliss family affair, with her son, Kyle, an IUPUI student, and daughter, Carly, working as assistants. Carly is an artist in her own right, having created a mural for an elementary school in New York, while Kyle is a gifted classical guitarist.

In addition to the Conseco mural, Bliss has been commissioned to paint five portraits for IUPUI. She is also the artist behind the IUPUI Jaguar logo painted on a wall in the lower level of University College.

This summer, Bliss incorporated teaching an IU East class on pictorial composition into an Indy Parks mural project she will paint along the Monon Trail.

Given her talent, the very public projects could easily take Bliss down her own trail to a future of more artistic freedom.

“My goal is to become my own artist, where I’m producing what I want to produce,” Bliss said. “Right now, I’m just painting what pays the rent.”