Today we’d like to introduce you to Debra Latham.
Debra, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I have painted in oils for the past 20 years and have taught classes for the last 10 years. I’m self-taught from videos, magazines & workshops. When I first started, it was very intimidating because I didn’t have an art degree and I always thought I wasn’t good enough because of that. I joined local art leagues, went to live model painting sessions, workshops, anything to learn as much as I could. I studied everything I could get my hands on. What really helped me is when I started going to live model sessions in The Woodlands. That’s when my painting really took off.
I’m currently teaching a painting class on Tuesdays at the Kingwood Community Center.
Something I’m really excited about is that I have spent the past 4 months developing my NEW artistic community called Brush WorkOuts. An online video tutorial membership community with weekly instructional video tutorials, informational posts & critiques. I wanted to create a fun place for beginner & intermediate artists to learn, share & grow with other artists without being stressed or intimidated. Just have fun while learning how to paint. I so wished there had been something like this when I was a beginner painter. (Go to my website for more information about the next session)
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I guess you could describe my work as impressionistic-realism. I do a lot of plein air (painting outdoors) painting and have traveled from coast to coast participating in juried plein air events. Plein Air painting is more impressionistic because you’re on a time limit because of the elements (i.e. changing light, rain) So in order to get the painting done you have to work quickly. Although, I’ve done many hyper-realism commissioned paintings to very abstract. But when it comes down to it, I think plein air painting is what I enjoy the most.
I paint mostly in oils. I’ve tried acrylics, but you just can’t get the richness & the dramatic effect that oils give you. I would say the first big accomplishment in my art career came when I won the Woodlands High School Art Trust Competition a few years ago. It was the first year of the competition. They started this competition for local artists so they could start an art collection for the high school so the students can have a more hands-on experience with art (i.e. collecting, curating, maintenance) My piece, “Barefoot Madonna” is their signature piece for their collection and on display at the school. Recently, I also had the great honor of being featured in Plein Air Magazine in the August/ September 2018 Issue (at Barnes & Noble)
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think artists have such great opportunities today! The landscape has changed dramatically from even 10 years ago. There are so many ways to learn & improve out painting skills as well as promote our work and with social media and websites. You don’t necessarily need to have gallery representation. When I first started painting, I remember to enter a competition or show, digital photos were just starting to come onto the scene. Many of them still wanted you to send in slides.
I think it would be great to have a program of sorts that would help the local unknown artists get in touch with companies that were looking for art for their company or needed an artist’s services. Help give the little guy a boost in getting the art career started and possibly get the big break they’ve been needing.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen on my website, Facebook & Instagram. You can also see my work in the current issue of Plein Air Magazine (Aug/Sept 2018) available at Barnes & Nobel
DebraLatham.com
Facebook – @DebraLathamArtStudio
Instagram – DebraLathamArtist
For more information about my New Artistic Community Brush WorkOuts, go to DebraLatham.com (The next session begins Oct. 1st. Enrollment opens Sept 22nd) I also have a 3 Day Workshop coming up October 26-28 in Richmond, TX where we will be painting from live models. (Information on DebraLatham.com)
Contact Info:
- Website: DebraLatham.com
- Instagram: debralathamartist
- Facebook: DebraLathamArtStudio
- Twitter: @DebraLathamArtist
Image Credit:
Debra Latham
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