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Biography
Debra was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. While majoring in Art Education with a minor in Art History at SUNY New Paltz, she discovered the works of the French Impressionists, the Neo-Classicists, and the Romantic Realists. Their use of color and play of light and shadow had a profound influence on her.
Debra's work has appeared in various publications, including the New York Optimist, and International Contemporary Masters, vol. 8. She has also had exhibits at The Agora Gallery and The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York City, and at the Arts Arena Gallery, in Delray Beach, Florida, where she is a resident artist. Debra's style is considered contemporary representational painting. The subject matter she chooses is alternately whimsical and emotionally expressive.
Debra currently resides in South Florida.
Artist Statement
"As a child, I was always drawing - on paper, in books, even on paper napkins. My earliest appreciation for painting came from my exposure to Norman Rockwell's covers of the Saturday Evening Post. As an art major in college, I discovered the works of the French Realist, Gustave Courbet, the Neo-Classicist, Jacques Louis David, and the Romantic-Realist, Dominique Ingres. They were like Rockwell on steroids. The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists brought a new understanding of the use of color. Hello Bonnard and Matisse! I love the play of light, shadow, and color...
I consider my style representational art. Subjects that appeal to me are those in which I can depict the intricacies of drapery and folds through the use of light and shadow. I choose subjects I feel make my work distinctive. At times my subject matter is alternately whimsical and emotionally expressive. My hope is that long after viewing my work, at least one person remembers something special about it."
Debra Branitz
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