Working in a variety of mediums and incorporating the rich cultural diversity discovered while living overseas for 2 decades, Debra utilizes figural narrative as her primary language. Debra wants to engage the viewer in a tactile sense, seeking an emotional connection through a dynamic, shifting interpretation of traditional and alternative uses of material.Debra Balchen is a Chicago area artist who specializes in drawing, painting, sculpture and art glass. Debra was raised in Chicago and has also lived in New York, Italy, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt. She studied art at the Art Student League of New York, the Kitengela Glass Studio in Kenya, the Corning Museum of Glass in New York, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has also taught numerous special drawing classes for The American Glass Guild Conferences and for ROMOMA Modern Art Museum, sponsored by the Ford foundation in Kenya. Recently, she has taught numerous classes at Lil Street Art Center in Chicago.