About the Artist

Deborah Van Brunt - Biography

My approach varies a good deal with each subject I paint. Right now, I celebrate the freedom to explore different techniques and concepts rather than hone a particular style. I feel fortunate to pursue this journey. And, if the products of this process give others pleasure or a cause to contemplate a bit, I feel successful indeed.  

When I started to paint, it was rewarding enough to capture a scene or subjects as realistically as I was capable. But now I try to leave that to cameras or better artists and am more intent on conveying a feeling, a thought, a story or maybe, a question. Each subject seems to call for a different approach or technique. So with each piece, I try to move beyond a previous comfort zone and beyond the box of my own perceived limitations. 

Of course, it’s not a straight path in this business of self-expression, but there’s a discernable direction in my body of work. I’ve always been drawn to bright, bold colors. Sometimes they splash into a loud cacophony of hues; now I can also be more restrained and have found selectivity can make color even more powerful. I generally work from my own photos but am starting to create from internal concepts as well. From always creating sunny, optimistic pieces, I now also take on more sober, pensive subjects. My brushwork is getting looser, my composition less static and my playfulness more pronounced.

Hope you can enjoy my current work and hope you might want to check in to see what directions I might head next!