Artist Statement -updated 060308

"I live and work in my studio in Los Osos, California, an art gypsy with very little furniture and lots of ideas, raw materials, and tools. I am living my dream life, making, sculpture, paintings, and telling stories about the world and philosophic themes coloring my existence in it. My work is figurative and readily recognizable as plant, animal or human.

I both paint and sculpt in every sort of materials I can find and repurpose, or buy. Finished works evoke an art noir with occasional humoristic treatment of subjects, whether seriously intricate or whimsically simple, visually finessing the subject matter, using individual material like words within a short story.

My stylistic signature is recognizable in the surprisingly elegant combinations of seemingly harsh recycled materials, like barbed wire and shattered, colored glass, at times combined with and into traditional mediums and motifs.

In this way, I’m creatively positioned within this era of eco-awakening by “dumpster-diamond-mining” and repurposing raw materials; while also using traditional artistic materials like stone, metal and paint to create cutting edge avant-garde fine art.

I am naturally very open and outspoken about my concepts, methods and philosophy and I invite you to peruse my website and experience my artwork; and email me for studio appointments to see the art in person, or with questions and conversation starters."

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

The next opportunity to see Deborah's art in public will be announced soon.

Open Studio weekend 2008 is in October! Stay tuned here and the home page for the dates and information on how to purchase a SLO Open Studio Tour 2008 guide with lots of great studios and galleries represented; complete with maps. This is a great chance to see the artist in her "natural habitat" (aka studio).

You may also Contact the studio for private studio visit appointments.

Artist Biography

1960's Texas
Rumors of murals executed with slices of bologna and diaper fruit are repeatedly reported by those witness to the early years, but there exists no photographic proof of these works.

1967-68 Texas
Deborah begins producing intricate drawings of trees, buildings and people in pencil and graphic pen and ink.

1971 Texas
Deborah begs for and receives painting supplies for her birthday. Acrylic painting dominates her work through college and up until 1990.

1975 Texas
Athletics and academics preoccupied the high school years scholastically while artistically Deborah used raw art talent to paint small acrylic paintings of photographs as commissions for members of the family church and coworkers at various part time jobs. It served as self-preparation for College substituting for the complete lack of art program or classes offered in the local school system at the time.

Fine Art Education
BFA The University of Texas, Austin
Special Studies under Peter Saul and Lewis R.(Bill) Wiman.
Bill Wiman still instructs at UT and shows his art regularly in New York and elsewhere.
Peter Saul also shows his work regularly in New York and worldwide.

more about Peter Saul:
http://www.artnet.com/artist/14929/Peter_Saul.html
more about Bill Wiman:
http://www.utexas.edu/cofa/a_ah/peo/faculty/studio/wiman.html

First significant show June-July 1989
A one woman retrospective in the Texas State Treasury building in Austin, presented by Gov. Ann Richards, marked the first significant exhibition of Deborah's paintings executed from 1982-1989.

Sculptural Pursuits from 1990
Only lightly using sculpture as an expressive medium up until 1990, Burge abruptly completely stopped painting (for the following 10 years) and began using sculpture exclusively for her artistic expression. Echoing a few earlier college works, she began using recycled mediums as her primary symbolic sculptural vocabulary.

Living LARGE in London and loving it, mid 90's
The opportunity to live and play in London with a group of British actors and playwrights focused Deborah's desire to reach a wider audience and cemented her use of social commentary as a stylistic staple.

Relocation to California, spring 1998
Barbed wire and broken glass become staples of symbolic medium applications in Burge's sculpture work. The recycled mixed-medium sculptures are an instant hit and becomes the primary sculptural expressive medium in Deborah's 3 dimensional works.

Pushing the boundaries with Giclee 1998
Working exclusively with Chris August and his printmaking company "August Editions", Deborah participates in historical firsts in this new medium by creating collaborative original digital prints and actively creating the print subject matter during the printing process. The collaboration used such innovative methods as spilling coffee, scanning it and incorporating it into the final products. These exciting new works were revealed at the Giclee Printing Conference in San Francisco, August 1998.

Chris August passed away early in 2003 depriving the world of an amazingly creative and original mind.
Some stories containing recounts of his amazing influence in the foundations of Giclee are included as links below:
http://www.podevin.com/podevin/collectors/recent/stochasticon/stochasticon2save.htm
http://www.artmondo.net/printworks/artists/past/bishop.htm
http://proceedings.informingscience.org/IS2003Proceedings/docs/184Augus.pdf

Discovering Michelangelo through Italy and stone carving through Michelangelo 2000
Story forthcoming.. on traveling Italy and bringing home the love for stone carving.

The power of the California landscape 2000
Starting with a commission request, Deborah again picked up brush and paint for 2 dimensional expression. Having always eschewed "landscape painting" as boring she found the stunning beauty of the Central Coast of California an irresistible lure. In order to more enjoy the landscape painting genre, Deborah decided to incorporate classic themes into her local landscape subject matter. The first of this new painting series; Moving Graces ©2000 illustrates her reinterpretation of the classic theme The Three Graces, and another pulls a gender twist on the myth of Narcissus in Morro Narcissa ©2005.

Day on the set 2003
date: September 25, 2003 , wrapping up the third week of what will eventually be the biggest daytime television talk show AND most widely recognized talk show host of all time... after Oprah. The Ellen Degeneres Show has also shown the world that being a lesbian is just as funny and sad as being any body else. Ellen has done more to promote a positive lesbian message by being a positive human being, than anyone before in television history. It has also skyrocketed the career of one of the funniest women of all time no matter what sexual orientation.

Deborah was offered the chance to spend the day backstage and vip seating for taping, on the set of the exciting new lesbian hosted talk show, etc. yada yada; and to share her art work with Ellen. "A Natural Blue" ©2003 was created especially for Ellen, the title quoting her character 'Dori' in the animated feature Finding Nemo (Pixar), when she said: "Yes, I am a natural blue".

Later, during taping, she jokingly asked if Deborah if she "thought it would fit her" (meaning fit Ellen) and Deborah replied would "you will probably grow into it". But today, with tongue firmly lodged in cheek, we like to think that Deborah's brat sculpture: "A Natural Blue" finally "fits", Ellen, her art collection, and that it was THE good luck charm at least partly responsible for her smashing success. Yes, here at DBS we like to think Ellen "grew into" her brat sculpture and became a phenom. Why not? right?

In any case, it was a memorable day on the set of The Ellen Show, and now a super cool funny lesbian celebrity (say that fast five times-amusing huh? ), owns one of Burge's adorable brat sculptures, and certainly one of the most beautiful.

PS_fromDeb: "...and nothing beats slinking around craft services with one of the coolest people I have ever met. I had the most awesome time and still have a mental crush on you. Thank you LB! I would love to meet up and chat about your own brat sculpture: Belvedeer; contact me as soon as you hear about this!"

Discovering a knack for the medium of Oil June 2005
After using acrylic paint exclusively for over 30 years on two dimensional works, Deborah challenged herself to try Oil Paint with the advent of water soluble Oils. This medium, being a slower drying one than acrylic paint, encouraged her natural ability of blending wet on wet paint and layering for the greatest depth ever achieved in her previous 2 dimensional works. This resulted in a new enthusiasm for painting and her plans to revisit the classic painting subjects. The first oil painting shows a mastery of both the new medium and the success of using this medium to re-make the classic themes in painting. Morro Narcissa ©2005 is the myth of Narcissis reworked as a female protagonist and as a creature of sand instead of the typical flower presentations of the past.

A new series of saint paintings featuring modern women is soon to be released!

Note: this section is updated haphazardly

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