Deb Lawrence was raised in the artsy college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. As a child, she painted with oil paints, built pots on a potter’s wheel, etched on metal with acid, silk screened, carved linoleum blocks, learned to weave on large looms, and even tried her hand at marble sculpting.
She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and her Doctorate from CWRU, along with a mentorship in studio art from Gerald Vandevier, Professor Emeritus, Cleveland Institute of Art. She has exhibited throughout the United States including solo shows and gallery representation in NYC, Atlanta, and Cleveland, and her work has been acquired by private and public collections.
Artist Statement
Deb Lawrence is a contemporary artist who recently moved to Hudson, NY. She lives and works in the heart of the historic art and antique district in an art centric loft she calls her “Art Dwelling.” In addition to creating paintings and other innovative works in her expansive art studio, she hosts intimate events with art collectors, curators, artists, fashionistas, and design professionals in order to collaborate and grow in today’s interconnected art world.
Lawrence has developed a substantial body of work and is known for her ability to combine drawing, painting, and collage in decidedly authentic ways, which has attracted a significant following. In a fitting nod to sustainability, she paints, manipulates, and collages previously loved materials, including antique linen sheets, marred canvas, recycled brown paper lawn bags, as well as cotton and linen garments that come to her bearing a story and a soul.
Inspired by nature and reminiscent of Matisse’s cutouts, hand drawn and painted collaged elements serve as stepping stones in her Walk In The Park, Take A Hike, Jump in the Lake, and Nature Bathing series. Utilizing oil paint, oil stick, wax crayons, and acrylic spray her work portrays an intuitive, intentionally naïve quality, replete with spontaneous mark making, splotches of color, and simple overlapping forms, portraying an organic quality which feels lively and personal despite their abstract quality. She is particularly inspired by the diverse practices of Rose Wiley, Katherine Bradford, Rosemarie Trockel, Joe Bradley, Paul Klee, Miro, and the quilters of Gees Bend.
Layered, pieced and creased, Lawrence’s work deals with the beauty of blemishes and our struggle to feel comfortable in our own skin amidst the unpredictable world around us. “It’s the creases and imperfections that create the patina and soulfulness I strive for in my paintings and in life.”
Deb Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, where she grew up, her Doctorate from CWRU in Cleveland, OH, and a studio art mentorship with Gerald Vandevier, Professor Emeritus, Cleveland Institute of Art. She has exhibited widely throughout the United States, including solo shows and gallery representation in NYC, Atlanta, and Cleveland, and her work has been acquired by private and public collections.