Deborah A. Berlin

Bio

Deborah was born in Amsterdam, New York and currently lives in Columbia County, New York.

Although creative throughout her life, her interest in creating began in earnest in late 2015 with her life-sized, paper piecing “Peaceful Warrior”. She first picked up a colored pencil in April of 2017, then a paintbrush in June of 2017. A self-taught and disciplined artist, she primarily focuses on oil painting (as of June, 2021), sculpture (since 2020), and incorporating non-traditional mediums into her practice. She continues to paint daily.

Artist’s Statement

In early 2017, when I began my journey into color with colored pencils, I did so to connect with my mother who was very ill - it gave us something to do together, a way to connect.  She was gone in a few short months, yet I continued my journey with watercolor, then acrylics, and then sculpting.  

I’m interested in the form of everything.  More specifically, the origin of the form of everything.  By mistake or design, one thing could easily be another or its particles could lend themselves to something else to create something brand new.  

I haven’t had the privilege of a formal art education, although I haven’t seen that as a hinderance thus far. What I have learned has been through trial and error, experimentation, and dedication. It is my intention, however, to take some formal classes in the future, to make that investment in myself, to learn techniques that will allow me to be more efficient and effective in conveying what I’m feeling or thinking.

I began working with oils in mid-2021.  Much like the clay I use to sculpt, I find oils to be perfect for holding a form, allowing for a tactile experience.  Each finished piece speaks to the moment I found myself caught up in - something, somewhere, or someone I’d fixated on - and which could easily have become something else entirely with just a few adjustments.  Whether I’m working on the representation of fabric, skin, building materials, or the texture of florals, this medium is perfect in nearly every way.

I find myself most drawn to florals, to deconstruction, to the geometry inherent to all things. I am also more than a little fixated on skin and tone - how the touch of a petal can mimic a caress, or the structure of either is much like the other.

Admittedly, I’m relatively new to expressing myself visually.  I find it to be a great privilege to be able to paint every day, to experience the joy of improvement over time, and I very much look forward to seeing how that will translate over the course of the remainder of my life.

As a thank you and show of appreciation, I donate at least one project a month, on average, to a recipient who graciously allows me to practice on his/her/their subject matter.

Available work can be seen by appointment only.

Exhibitions / Events

Upcoming: 2024 24th Berkshires Arts Festival, July 5, 6, 7

2024 Group Exhibition, CREATE Council on the Arts, What We Hold: Stories + Objects, February 9-March 10

2023 Kinderhook Candlelight Night, The Old Dutch Inn and The Anderson Agency, December 8

2022 Group Exhibition, Kinderhook Art Walk on Historic Porches, October 8

2022 Group Exhibition, Spencertown Academy, Seventh Annual Members’ Show, July 9-August 7

2021 Members and Faculty Art Exhibition, Art School of Columbia County, November 22 through December

2021 Group Exhibition, Kinderhook Art Walk on Historic Porches, October 2

2021 Group Exhibition, The Marilyn and Bob Laurie Gallery, Creativity Among Chaos: What Did You Make During the Pandemic? September 15-November 6

2021 (June) -Present - The Traveling Sketchbook Collaboration (TikTok)

2019 Group Exhibition, Members’ Spring Art Show, Art School of Columbia County, May 18-June 15

2018 Solo Exhibition, Eat. Sip. Smile. June-December

2018 Solo Exhibition, Bank of Greene County, September

2018 Group Exhibition, Eat.Sip.Smile. April-June

Awards

2016 SUNY Empire State College’s annual student art competition, 3rd Place winner of the 2016 Student Art Competition with “Peaceful Warrior”

2017 SUNY Empire State College’s annual student art competition, 3rd Place and Poster winner of the 2016 Student Art Competition with “Blue Bloom”

Online Portfolio

https://www.artworkarchive.com/profile/deborah-a-berlin

Teaching

2017 Presenter, “Breathe Into Watercolor”, SUNY Empire State College

Collections

Works held in private collections in the United States.