Deb Templeton

Deb Templeton

debzmaile@gmail.com

   Macon

I have always had a love for art, creativity, and working with my hands. As a child, I spent many hours with my father, a dentist, and my grandfather, a "backyard artisan" learning about craftsmanship, the innate qualities of various raw materials, and how to manipulate those materials. Throughout my childhood I was exposed to fine art through my mother, who was a docent at the New Orleans Museum of Art. I developed a particular affinity for the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and Henri Matisse.

A self-taught artist, I draw from nature, my imagination, and life experiences. I attended Catholic elementary school through the 6th grade. switched over to a liberal arts school for my middle and high school years, then attended a liberal arts college where I majored in Anthropology/Sociology. My early education taught me to draw on spirituality, discipline, and structure, while my liberal arts education taught me to think objectively, stretch my wings, and allow my imagination to fly. My aesthetic draws heavily from these experiences and their dichotomous natures.

As a multimedia artist I enjoy drawing, painting, sculpture, woodworking, photography, and painting furniture in addition to collage. It is my 3-D collage, however, that I think is my most unique and metaphorical work. This includes my shadow boxes and multi-dimensional compositions. In these I use various materials such as wood, glass, ink, paint, magazine clippings, as well as vintage and found objects. I like to bring diverse elements together in a way that forces them to interact and challenge each other. Much of my other collage work is about combining colors and images in fun and visually pleasing arrangements. My tissue box covers, for instance, reflect my love of gardening, nature, animals, color, and art. Many of my drawings can be described as animations or illustrations of thoughts, characters, or ideas. When I'm painting furniture, I like to imagine that I am allowing the piece to "evolve" through me. The result is usually colorful, abstract, and/or fanciful.

I simply enjoy the creative process and expressing myself through art. Whatever the media, it's good for my soul and cheaper than therapy.