Deborah Brooks

Spring 2022 Artist-in-Residence

Deborah Brooks is a Wisconsin based painter and art educator with a passion for the present. Her work explores painterly concerns of color and brushwork at the service of creating an experience for the viewer that is effortless and provides a sensation of abundance. She has shown her work at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in the Member Exhibit, Milwaukee Public Library, Mount Mary University and the Marshall Building’s Material Gallery and Studios. Her studio in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward is open by appointment.

Many years crafting her skills as an art educator provides a stable ground for her online courses and coaching for students of all levels. Of note is her specialty of individualizing instruction for students’ needs and interests. This was instrumental in earning the National Board Art Educator Certification. She received her B.A. and B.F.A. in Drawing and Painting from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her M.A. and M.F.A from the School of Art and Art History from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.

Artist Statement 2022  

My intention is to create a visual experience that is familiar, but is a bit unexplainable and bursting with exuberance and gusto. 

By planning only a small portion of the painting, I build in opportunities for discovery in the studio process,  mirroring the experience of life.  I use richly pigmented luscious oil paints and build generous layers to develop a visceral sensation of abundance. Each brushstroke is placed to show off the shapes that I delight in and to create a blend of relatable and painterly surprises.

Areas of Expertise

  • Drawing (pencil, pen, colored pencil, charcoal, oil pastels)
  • Painting (oil, acrylic, watercolor)
  • Art History and Contemporary Art discussion
  • Art Journaling, brainstorming, idea generation strategies, identity
  • Phone photography and use of free apps for creative thinking
  • Color Selection
Images courtesy of the artist

Deborah will be available virtually on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9am – 1pm. To schedule a visit, please contact her below. She will be available only via Google Meet.

Her residency will run from February 1 – June 3, 2022.