Wielding one tool, a large sturdy palette
knife, she paints: mixing, smoothing, layering, pushing,
scratching and scraping oil paint across the canvas. From her
seemingly random motions and color choices
a
field
of sunflowers emerges.
This is how
Debra Clemente works to express her vibrant, energetic,
“singing” impressions from memory. She credits
years of self directed exploration
for her skill but her passion for a life of
artistic expression was seeded long ago.
Born in Ottawa, Kansas, Debra’s family moved to
Wichita when she was six years old. Her childhood best friend
was the daughter of artist Bill Harrison, a professional
painter. They
spent many
hours playing together in his “roving studio,” whether it was
in their dining room, living room, or other areas in the
house. “I would have been content to just sit and watch him
all day, every
day,” says
Debra, “I didn't realize until recently what I gift that early
art exposure was to me. I learned it was a possibility for
me.”
Debra
earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communications from the
University of Kansas. She and her husband made their home in
Lawrence,
raising a daughter and son
there.
She never
paints sitting down, and she rarely gives up on a painting.
“If I sat down,” says Debra, “I would get picky about the
details. I need to move back and forth. When I’m in the middle
of a painting it is difficult to stop, to let it sit. If I
left my mobile phone in my basement studio, I would sometimes
send
one of my kids
down to go get it. If I went down, I might spend three more
hours there trying to finish a painting.”
Debra and her
husband are now empty nesters; their
children
are off
in the world. She sees it as new opportunity. “My skills have
developed over the years,” says Debra, “this is my time. I’m
painting where
I am, the Midwest landscape,
in a new way, a fresh interpretation.” |
