Debra Blake

I am a resident artist at Washington ArtWorks in the Washington, DC area. My primary work is with pastel and digital; I have a small pencil series in addition.

Why pastel? Because it's ancient, primary and immediate. The colors are intense and fresh and they require me to look intensely at my chosen object in order to choose well; pastellists don't blend colors off the canvas as oil painters do, but instead might peruse hundreds of colors or more to find just the right one. If it's not quite right, then you invent. I invent. I see, find moments that move me, invent paintings that I hope move you. I paint what I believe I see, and what I feel.

My digital art is different, though it's also immediate: I can take my iPad with me and draw the immediate scene, capturing moments in a short amount of time; the results can be intensely focused, perfectly rendered according to my vision and the length of my stay.

You can see more of my work at ; I welcome you to visit.

University of Michigan
Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA