Debbie Dunbar

I was born in 1963 in Harrow, London, but grew up in a small close community in a village close to Rugby in Warwickshire. I moved to a smallholding in West Wales in 1986, and I plan to stay here for quite a while!

I work mainly in oils, as I love the richness of colour and texture that can be achieved with this medium. To me when I paint it is almost like sculpting, trying to capture the form and movement of the subject. I also work in graphite pencil and pastels.

I would say that my work is broadly representational in style. I am quite a traditionalist! But I am obsessed with the way light affects the mood and drama of a piece, quality of light is vital to my work, whether it is striking and bold or subtle and soft. To portray light, life and feeling and soul is of huge importance to me, and I hope that I can convey a sense of the emotion and spirit of the subject and myself to the viewer of my work.
I am constantly inspired, whether it is a magnificent cob stallion showing its fire in partnership with its handler, or the quiet play of sunlight through the trees in the wood. The inspiration is there all around me, every moment of every day.
My greatest artistic influences are John Singer Sargent, Munnings, Stu...