Artist Statement
Each piece of blank, white paper has a voice that calls me to begin and to search my inner self for new creative discoveries. The first strokes of color are the beginning of this process and there is a flow. I feel guided through the movement as each brushstroke must follow the preceding one. It is part accident, part plan, but mainly inspiration.
I let gestalt come into play, Here, the parts are determined by the whole. The inherent need for closure, balance and symmetry guide me. The work is finished when I feel there is no more to do.
Painting is an attempt to link the interpretation of my perceptions with the most honest expression of myself as an individual.
Deborah’s Biography
For me, art has always been a by-product of my daily life. Throughout my life I have drawn and painted. Over the years, many whom have remarked, “that I had talent” have encouraged me. I have won many awards and was encouraged by my teachers and mentors to develop my creativity.
In college I majored in pre-medicine but as a varsity tennis player, the study proved too rigorous. I changed to sociology with the desire to go into social work. I graduated cum laude with degrees in sociology and art.
My professional art career began as a medical illustrator in the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University. For thirteen years I worked side-by-side with the anatomy students. I prepared visuals for lectures, illustrated medical journals, and prepared work for the teaching physicians. I left the University to start my own company, Southern Rim Graphics, and to pursue my love of fine art watercolor painting.
A major influence in my art came from summers spent in Italy teaching and painting. I was drawn to the beautiful Tuscan landscape and the distinct quality of light.
My husband and I moved to Santa Fe in 2005. In the southwest I rediscovered the light, landscape and Mediterranean architecture that influenced in my travels. Every day, when I took out of my studio window, I am overwhelmed by the vastness of space and the minimal landscape that is dominated by the distant horizon. The focus of my paintings is my interpretation of the horizon, the landscape and the desert vegetation.