“For me, nature motivates creativity. I paint realistic images in a slightly abstract way to engender curiosity and interest. By capturing a brief moment in a larger action, my paintings produce a moment of anticipation for the viewer: “What’s going to happen next?” "Often, I feel more like a sculptor than a painter. I use oil paints to sculpt an image, which becomes more and more three-dimensional as each layer of paint is applied. I don’t try to capture every detail; I want viewers to enjoy the image they see and the one they can imagine. I want them to discover the image for themselves. By leaving traces of untouched layers behind, viewers can see how the painting came into being”. Deborah Newman was born in 1956 in Santa Barbara, California. When she was three, her family moved to Belvedere, CA, a small quaint town that sits on the bay overlooking San Francisco and the Golden Gate. Her deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the landscape came from her childhood hiking and riding her horse on Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands. Her love of nature fit her desire to paint en plein air in the environment she loved. From a young age, Deborah had a keen eye for drawing and an artistic flare that family friend artist-author Barnaby Conrad noticed, and encouraged by teaching her the basics of drawing. With Conrad’s encouragement, Deborah drew her way to a degree in fine art at the University of Oregon as well as a degree with honors from The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She went on to become an art director at Saatchi and Saatchi advertising agency in San Francisco in 1987. Upon moving from San Francisco to Henderson, Nevada in 1993 with her husband and 3 children, Deborah began painting as a creative outlet, which led her to studying with eminent landscape painters Kevin Macpherson, Scott Christensen, Matt Smith, and Randy Sexton. She pursued painting as her profession in 1996. Deborah is considered a modern painter working in the classical tradition. Her paintings are known for their lively brushwork and rich color. Her landscapes are mostly inspired by hikes in her beloved Marin County. She has been elected to membership in the Salmagundi Club, the American Impressionist Society, the American Artists Professional League, Allied Artists of America, American Women Artists, Oil Painters of America, California Art Club, and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Her paintings have been seen at the Salmagundi Club in NYC, the National Association of Women Artists Gallery in NYC, Tucson Desert Museum, Las Vegas Art Museum, The Resort at Paws Up in Montana, Marin General Hospital, the Rice Gallery of Fine Art in Kansas, Forest and Ocean Gallery in Laguna Beach.