Deborah Roberts

Deborah Roberts: Beehive

Like most artist, I have created a large amount of paintings and drawings in almost every medium and surface out there. Now that my work has transition into multilayered collages on paper lately, I have been asked, why don't I see more of your hand in the work? Really, because my hand is in the work, it's in it every time I cut out an images, apply medium or spend hours on research trying to make these assemblages flow together seamlessly. You may not see lots of painted faces and bodies, but that's coming. At this point in my practice growth, development, environment and research are at the top of my list. Figuring out what's next for an artist is hard for anyone to predict and as much as I bitch and moan about my work I can see the bigger picture. I know that all work[especially mine] requires depth, time and rigor so believe me "my hand" has always been apart of the new work. Check out Jerry's 2013 rant about painting! http://www.twocoatsofpaint.c...

Deborah Roberts: The "Agony and the Ecstasy" of being an artist : The agony and the ecstasy of being an artist is the most frustrating thing that one can experience.  There are moments when everything is go...

The agony and the ecstasy of being an artist is the most frustrating thing that one can experience.  There are moments when everything is going so well in your art practice you think it will never end, only to have the floor fall from under your studio. It's moments like these when I wonder why do artists put up with this life? Surely, it's not about the money, because most of the time there is no money. Every artist I know wants to be successful both monetarily and artistically like any sane person in a profession looking to move up. But are we a little insane to keep going year after year enduring rejection after rejection and months of plenty and years of starvation? Because we[I] continue to do it, then my answer must be yes! Artists just don't create art... we are art! It's a part of us, it's who we are and because we suffer financially, we are fragile! And as a consequence of that fragility we are easily irritated [ maybe that just me] , never truly understood...

Deborah Roberts: You have to have some doubts. : Preparing for a show is always full of stress and doubt. There's always a bit of uncertainty that surrounds the process. Packing a...

Preparing for a show is always full of stress and doubt. There's always a bit of uncertainty that surrounds the process. Packing and unpacking, hanging and labeling or should talk or just stand here. Will the work be accepted or will anyone even show up! Being an artist is more than the act of creating, that's why its called "Artwork"!  Last night, my solo show open in San Antonio and while it was greeted with cheer and smiles I can't wait to see and hear what people have to say or write about the new work. I took a lot of chances ... even though that's what I'm supposed to do with my work.  Now, that cynical monster (doubt) is in my studio. I'll kick his ass out later, but for today he's my sparring partner. Recently, I read an article where Jerry Saltz gave students ten tips on what it takes to live as an artist. Check it out the link below, he has some great advice. http://blog.sva.edu/2016/02/you-need-to-be-vampires-jerry-saltzs-10-ti...