Deborah Strong

Deborah Strong was born and raised in the Langley area. She graduated from secondary school with a Fine Arts award, followed by a diploma in Fine Arts (Graphic Communication Specialty) from the University College of the Fraser Valley, and subsequently by a certificate in computer graphics from Douglas College. Her career has taken a dual path encompassing both fine art and graphic design, and she has continued her education by working part-time towards an undergraduate General Studies degree. After working as a full-time professional graphic designer for many years, Deborah found herself frustrated by her lack of time and energy for her true passion: creating art. In 2001 she made the decision to change her lifestyle so she could devote more time to focusing on art, and that decision proved well founded, reuniting her with her true vocation as an artist.

Since childhood, animals have played a key role in Deborah's life, from the ponies, cats and barnyard creatures at the family hobby-farm to the more exotic residents of the local zoo. The personal connection she makes with members of the animal world is reflected in her art. An artist from an early age, she completed her first pet portrait commissions as a teenager, working first in pastel then later moving into coloured pencil. In her 20s, she discovered silk painting and was engaged by the vivid colours and vibrant quality of the medium. Deborah now works primarily in two media—coloured pencil and hand-painted silk—but also enjoys exploring collage, oil pastel and others. Her silk paintings are loose and playful in nature, often described as whimsical, while her coloured pencil work demonstrates her proficiency with detail and realism. Deborah’s art has been featured in local group exhibitions, displayed in private galleries, and showcased at art festivals around the Lower Mainland. Additionally, she has completed many privately commissioned portraits of horses, dogs and cats.

Hand-in-hand with Deborah’s love of animals is her enjoyment of the outdoors, ranging from BC’s rugged coastline, to rambling woodland walks, to the serenity of time spent pottering in her own garden. She has spent untold hours exploring local trails and roads on horseback and on foot with her dog. Her love of adventure has taken her hiking on Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail, long-distance trekking in the United Kingdom, exploring the swamps and forests of Trinidad and Tobago, and sailing in the Grenadines. The creatures she meets along the way form much of the inspiration for her art, as does her current collection of animal companions made up of two ginger cats, a collie, a bossy little pomeranian, a handful of goldfish, and a geriatric horse.

More of Deborah’s artwork can be viewed on line at her website: www.catnmousedesigns.com.