Dancing With Dolphins 2

The sound of soft lapping of gentle waves stirred up by the cool, ocean winds against the rhythmic heaving of hulls, chained to jetties in the marina. I am mesmerised by the reflected images darting restlessly upon the surface of the waters. My ears become aware of the metallic clinking of shackles straining to hold the massive weight of the yachts from breaking from their constraints.
The beautiful curves and lines of the design of these wild, wind creatures leaves me in awe of the architectural skill of the creators. Are they sleeping……. longing to be set free on the ocean outside the harbour or dying, neglected by their skippers, summer after summer? It saddens me to see the rotting carcasses of these once magnificent yachts. Those sleek, hulls which cut through imposing waves of the ocean like a hot knife through butter – abandoned, forsaken. Their loveliness will not be forgotten. I will etch the felt longings of open oceans onto panels of ply in acrylic, graphite, collage and crayon – forever remembered.

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Deborah's African roots are evident in the colours and textures of her paintings. "I like to utilize unusual materials, such as bitumen, tree resins, industrial enamel, shellac and beeswax medium into my work. Being an avid experimentalist, Deborah loves to challenge herself to make great art from non-paint like materials".
Having a vibrant personality, her work exudes her passion for life and inner energy, which is reflected in the bold, gestural brush marks in her works.

Deborah discovered her talent for art in high school, but it was only until she graduated from university in 2003 with a degree in visual arts that her painting career was finally launched. A significant commission came her way in 2009, in which Deborah created provide 116 original paintings for a new hotel in Mandurah, The Sebel. Deborah was absolutely delighted and began work immediately to develop a series of paintings which would reflect the unique waterways of Mandurah. This organic, flowing style of her paintings proved very popular with the architectural and interior design markets, but being an essentially eclectic painter, Deborah has created many, large scale, gestural, contemporary abstract works as well.

Deborah is currently undertaking a one year plein air mentorship under Mr. Leon Holmes. "It's been a tough 18 months for me, Explains Deborah. "I've had to deal with the sudden death of my daughter in 2015, plus I realised that trends in art had changed significantly but was unsure of which direction to take with my art practice." After hard work and commitment, Deborah has now become excited at developing new paintings of abstracted landscapes, using the small plein air studies as a reference point.