About the Artist
Based in
Omena, MI
Website
www.artistdebrahoward.com
Instagram
artist_debra__howard
Biography

Debra has been juried into (and won) Plein Air competitions in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Maine, Georgia, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana and Virginia, including prestigious events such as Easton Plein Air, Paint Annapolis, en Plein Air Texas and Bath County Plein Air.  She is a Signature Member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA), Northport Arts Association,  Glen Arbor Art Association, Crooked Tree Arts Center and the Somerset County Arts Council.

Artist-in-Residence for: Tangier Island, VA, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades, Florida and the South Carolina State Park system.

Her work has been featured in the American Scholar Magazine and Plein Air Magazine as well as numerous newspaper articles. She travels through the year, pulling a small RV trailer, competing in plein air competitions around the country and offering art workshops and artists talks.

Debra is a United States Coast Guard US Merchant Marine officer and holds a 100-ton master's license.

She resides in Crisfield, Maryland.

Slideshow

Artist's Statement

My work is a direct reflection of my life experience. 

I spent my childhood in Miami, surrounded by light, intense color, patterns. heat and contrasts.

I traveled for over 27 years on my sailboat, Ling Ling, exploring Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Surrounded by clear turquoises, corals, blues, rainforest greens, deep shadows and brilliant highlights, I began to paint.

My palette is unusual, I use 3 colors plus white, relying on classical color theory to produce an exciting and pleasing color harmony. My work showcases strong design and a rhythmic quality, influenced by my early career as a designer and illustrator.

Painting is a method of communicating that relies on a series of decisions. My goal is to share the wonder that I experienced. I am looking at a 3-dimensional world, ever-changing, and yet my means of communicating is confined to a small 2-dimensional panel. I use brushstrokes that express, color that is enhanced and rhythm and patterns to draw in the viewer.

Get to Know the Artist

  • If you could paint alongside any artist, past or present, who would it be?
    • Joaquin Sorolla
  • Do you have a favorite time of day to paint en plein air?
    • Late day and at night. I seem to be more creative at night.
  • If you could describe your painting style in 3 words, what would they be?
    • Outside the box.
  • If you weren’t an artist, what other career would you have pursued?
    • Archeologist.
  • What’s a quirky item in your painting kit that people might not expect?
    • A rubber paint brush.
  • What song, artist, podcast or other audio is on repeat in your studio (or headphones while painting)?
    • Max Richter : On the Nature of Daylight