Deborah’s Funko Pop style is instantly recognisable, and her work is collected all over the world.
She grew up in Sunderland and has always loved drawing and painting. From an early age Deborah’s favourite presents were ‘painting by numbers’ sets. Deborah’s dad was her inspiration being an amateur painter.
She gained her BTEC Diploma in art and design, followed by working for a photography company. In 2005 Deborah had the opportunity to return to education and in 2009 Deborah graduated from the University of Sunderland with a BA Degree in Fine Art.
Her chosen media is oils, and her early work was realism, portraits, and figurative pieces of art. She changed direction and is now renown for her “toy” work which really came about by accident when experimenting with paint and mark making. As a family they have always had a slight obsession (healthy) with Lego, retro toys and Funko pops so she didn’t need to look far for inspiration. Her process starts with a pen and ink sketch which evolves as she paints. Her work has changed and developed over the years and is now a lot looser in style. Paint is applied both figuratively and abstractly. Mark making is also an important technique she uses and Deborah continues to experiment with new characters and themes.
She has held exhibitions at Art Fairs and galleries around the UK, and also won “The People’s Choice” national art competition in 2010. She has been featured in international art publications, Artists magazine and Society of All Artists providing the image for the front cover.
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