Debra Howard
About the Artist
Based in:Omena, MI
Website: http://www.artistdebrahoward.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artist_debra__howard/
Biography
She resides in Crisfield, Maryland.
Artist's Statement
My work is a direct reflection of a life immersed in vivid light and color.
I grew up in Miami surrounded by blazing sunlight, intense hues, bold patterns, heat,
and stark contrasts. For more than 27 years I sailed the waters of Hawaii, Mexico,
Central America, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas aboard my boat, Ling Ling. There,
enveloped by turquoise seas, coral reefs, rainforest greens, deep shadows, and
brilliant highlights, I began to paint.
I work with an short palette—only three colors plus white—leaning on classical color
theory to create vibrant, harmonious compositions. Strong design and rhythmic
movement run through every piece, echoes of my early career as a designer and
illustrator.
Painting is a language of decisions. My aim is to translate the wonder I have felt in a
vast, ever-changing three-dimensional world onto a small two-dimensional panel.
Through expressive brushwork, heightened color, repeating patterns, and pulsing
rhythm, I invite the viewer to step inside that moment with me.
Debra is a signature member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association
(MAPAPA) and has been juried into—and frequently awarded in—prestigious
competitions across the United States, including Plein Air Easton, Paint Annapolis, en
Plein Air Texas, Wayne Art Center Plein Air, Glen Arbor and Bath County Plein Air.
She has served as artist-in-residence at Tangier Island (VA), Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, and
throughout the South Carolina State Parks system.
She divides her time between Crisfield, Maryland, and Omena, Michigan.