I am an artist based in Highfields, Queensland and painting is no longer just something I do, it is how I live.

For more than two decades I worked as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools, across private and public education. Teaching shaped me. It taught me to see potential before it is visible. It taught me patience, resilience and how to guide others to trust themselves. But beneath the lesson plans and playground duty, I was always creating. Art was my quiet constant. It’s the place I returned to when I needed space to breathe. Over time, that quiet constant became a calling I could no longer ignore.

Leaving full-time teaching to pursue my art business was both terrifying and clarifying. I stepped away from certainty and into colour. Into texture. Into risk. And in doing so, I stepped more fully into myself.

My work is intuitive and layered. I build paintings the way I have built my life; one considered layer at a time. I love the push and pull between control and surrender. Broad brushstrokes give me strength and structure; fluid lines challenge me to let go. That tension fascinates me. It mirrors the human experience. The desire to hold on and the need to release.

Texture plays a strong role in my work. I often incorporate moulding paste and layered acrylic techniques to create depth you can almost feel before you touch it. I am drawn to colour that evokes emotion; soft neutrals grounded with bold movement, gentle transitions interrupted by courageous marks. My paintings are not about perfection. They are about energy, story and just being.

Winning first prize at the Toowoomba Show in 2025 and this year at the Bell Exhibition have been beautiful affirmations, but what truly drives me is connection. When someone stands in front of one of my pieces and feels something, calm, strength, nostalgia, hope. That is the real achievement.

Alongside creating, I have private tutoring, I also lead a beautiful group in my Creative Community sessions every Friday morning and I teach a variety of workshops from my Highfields studio. Guiding beginners as they discover their own creative voice feels like a natural extension of who I am. I know what it means to stand on the edge of something new. I know the vulnerability of the blank canvas. I create spaces where people feel safe to explore, to experiment, and to surprise themselves.

Art, for me, is not about decoration. It is about expression. It is about courage. It is about choosing to live creatively, even when the path is uncertain.

I paint because I am still learning to let go. I paint because colour says what words cannot. I paint because creating feels like coming home. One Brushstroke at a Time.

View Deborahs Feature Article on Popd Art Hub Art Magazine