From the beautiful Inuit artwork and avant guard art here in the Northwest, and the colors of the flora in our Emerald City of Seattle every season as a child and adult.  To my Teen years in the S.F. Bay Area absorbing the 1960's culture. To my early childhood years of living, and traveling overseas. My families fine art collection, the ornate artwork my Father brought back from Asia, my artwork is inspired by the diverse populations I’ve seen and places I have been all my life.

Living in Germany overseas as a child, I had the opportunity to travel through Europe and see many of the...

From the beautiful Inuit artwork and avant guard art here in the Northwest, and the colors of the flora in our Emerald City of Seattle every season as a child and adult.  To my Teen years in the S.F. Bay Area absorbing the 1960's culture. To my early childhood years of living, and traveling overseas. My families fine art collection, the ornate artwork my Father brought back from Asia, my artwork is inspired by the diverse populations I’ve seen and places I have been all my life.

Living in Germany overseas as a child, I had the opportunity to travel through Europe and see many of the artistic wonders of the Western World. I was awed by the Sistine Chapel. Its beautiful painted ceilings, sculptures and stained glass windows. The Italian Glass makers of Venice, the detailed woven rugs and ornate metalwork of the armor and iron work in the German Castles on the Rhine.  My family also exposed me to the fine art of the non-Western World. Works comically categorized as "Folk Art". It seems just as "Fine" to me as Western Art. The primary colors and joyful scenes of the Haitian and African Art and Traditional Western Fine Art my family collected. The beautiful, ornate and delicate Asian artwork my Father brought back from Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. The traditional Native American beadwork my Grandmother valued and shared with me as a child.  All of it has had a major influence on my life and artwork.

My life has been filled with beautiful artwork.  It is how I reference the world. How the light hits a friends face during a conversation. A rainbow of oil in a puddle on the sidewalk.  The brick textures and ornate stonework on Pioneer Square buildings. I'm driven to celebrate the feelings connected to the life I see with my art.

Leaving  the  Northwest  as  a  child,   I  spent  my teen  years in the North Bay Area of California,  batiking,  silk-screening, and illustrations. I probably had every size of Repidograph pen tip there was. From the Mod and Optical Illusions, detailed "Acid Art" of Fillmore West and Winterland Posters. The comic book styles of R. Crumb, Dori Seda, the black and white political art in the Berkeley Barb, S.F. and Santa Cruz news papers, colorful “Flower Power” Art.    Peter Max's "Yellow Submarine", the resurgence of Maxfield Parish's blue landscapes and Art Deco - they all influenced my  artwork.

Pastels are probably my favorite medium. I love doing "high contrast" pieces and pastels make it possible to show the brightness and darkness in my life. I love the blending and layering I can get with paints though. I enjoy using paint as a medium of gradations. Where as my work in pastels often lacks a distinct edge, a line to it, or is outlined, I like the "rendering" of smooth transitions from color to color that can be done with paint. I delight in the large curves of Diago Rivera's murals.

Sometimes I don't have the space to set up my easel and tools to sketch, do pastels or paint. Thats when I turn to my computer and digital art. Last year I stumbled across a program that allowed me to fold and multiply my work as if it was origami. You can see the results of that process in my "mandalas", "Orbs" and "Cyber Sculpture" Galleries. I use only my original artwork. I Tweek the colors, and basically take it to a whole different level. I am having a blast. I never quite know what I'll end up with. I know I have a set of favored colors that I use a lot. But one of the amazing things I've been able to do is add a third dimension to my work. Give it texture, as well as dimension.

Making and sharing art is what keeps me whole and balanced. I hope you enjoy my work.

Peace, Lynn Armede DeBeal