Lives in: Germantown, MD 

Website: http://deborahwalmer.com

Social Media: Instagram: @deborah_walmer; Facebook:

http://facebook.com/deborahlwalmer

Media and subjects:  Oil on canvas

Why you joined MAA: To socialize with and support other artists.

Something fun about you: Along with painting, dance comes in a close second. As far back as I can remember, I have danced.  If there is music on, you will see me swaying to it.  I have been a member of three dance companies over the years and even traveled to West Africa to study dance.

Artist Biography: I grew up in the Philadelphia, PA area and majored in Fine Art at Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C.  Although I am a Philly girl, I consider myself a Washingtonian since I have lived in the DC area for over 26 years.  I started drawing at 1½ years old.  Unfortunately, it was all over my aunt's door during a sleepover. That was my last sleepover.  (Editors Note:  Fortunately it was not her last artwork.)

After college I didn't really paint that much. I was uninspired. After my divorce, three years ago, I realized that something was missing. I needed to paint. I now know I cannot go a day without painting.  Besides my two teens, painting has made me happier than anything I have ever known.

My second love—dance has stayed with me over the years.  Although I no longer dance as part of a dance company, I stay involved in the dance world by creating costumes for CityDance School and Conservatory at Strathmore in North Bethesda. I merged my two loves of dance and painting and created a dance series of paintings. When I watch the conservatory dancers, I am transported back onto stage. I want the viewer of my art to see the movement of dance and feel the emotion as if they are dancing.

During my first art exhibit this last summer, the paintings were displayed while the dancers performed the repertoire that is depicted in the paintings. I wanted the audience to experience the emotion and story they tell through movement in my paintings.  One of my paintings, Girl On Fire, depicts an African dancer. She is wearing the costume I made for that dance repertoire.

My paintings have been described as paper unfolded or stained glass. You can see the influence of Picasso, Braque, Dali, and Kahlo in the paintings.   I recently expanded into Abstract works. These abstract paintings are a mix of textures that include oil paint, cray-pas, shells and fabric woven together with the techniques of the cubism genre. My friends call the style Debism.