As a pastel artist, my contemporary, realist paintings portray the beauty, joy, personality and humor I find in my subjects. My work features a wide array of subjects including landscapes, animals and florals.
With degrees in interior design and graphic design, I have always been involved with the arts in one form or another. After working in a variety of other media, I began using pastels in 2006 and haven’t looked back since.
Much of my inspiration comes in the form of adopted and rescued animals. The plight of the homeless animals touched my heart. My husband, Joe and I have adopted many rescued dogs and cats over the years and their furry smiles can be found sprinkled throughout my work. I love to volunteer my time at the Woodford Humane Society and currently serve on its advisory council board.
In 2008, I expanded my art offerings by producing note cards and fine art prints from my originals. With the help of my sister, Marie Pullen, who joined my business in 2011, we developed our first greeting card line earlier this year. This line combines images of my original art, photography and computer graphics to create vibrant and colorful collages. Marie added humorous and witty quips, creating fun and whimsical images that are well suited for prints and greeting cards. The line is appropriately titled “Grin & Share It!”
My progression into botanicals came by chance, while chatting and sharing photos of my work with Frankie Thompson York, owner of New Editions Gallery in Lexington. She was so impressed by my paintings of flowers, that she offered me a solo show featuring large-scale botanical paintings. That idea blossomed into the Garden Party exhibit, which opened in June 2012.
Although I am known for capturing the personality of an animal, my audience has also found that I can capture the personality of a flower. I’ve discovered how fascinating the intricacy, color and functionality of the smallest details of flowers are, giving me an unexpected appreciation for the wonder of our Creator’s genius found in nature. This has opened up a whole new direction for me into which I can pour my creative energies.
Debbie Graviss
Graviss Studios
Versailles, KY
www.gravissstudios.com
www.neweditionsgallery.com
www.facebook.com/gravissstudios
debbie@debbiegraviss.com