Featuring New Work from Deborah Cavenaugh and Gail Sue.Gail Sue, an artist from Australia, paints street scenes and impressions of her tours of America. I, always calling myself a painter of Americana, have painted about the dream and blessings of being an American. If you get a chance, drop in and see the show.
Painting America - October 21 to November 15 2008 Bottega Art and Wine 208 North Front Street Wilmington North Carolina
Deborah Cavenaugh is a self-taught artist. She began painting on Mother’s Day in 1992 after her children presented her with a box of watercolors they bought in a toy store.
In late 1993, Cavenaugh took a couple of the paintings she had made (mostly to make her children happy) out from under the bed where she kept them stored. Her bold idea was to frame a few pieces for her own bedroom. A local frame shop happened to send Cavenaugh a coupon. The frame shop happened to be owned by a gallery. The gallery owner happened to be in the frame shop that day, saw Cavenaugh’s work, and put her under contract right then. The next week, three paintings sold.
Cavenaugh still didn’t take it seriously, however. It wasn’t until about six months later when she was offered a show at a popular local-art’s restaurant, that Cavenaugh decided to paint as hard as she could for one year and see what would happen. That was in March of 1994.
Today, Cavenaugh has had over 75 shows. Galleries from Maine to Florida have hosted her work. Her original art hangs in private collections across the country and in many foreign countries. Cavenaugh is a respected commission painter, loved for her portraits of families, houses, and pets… and for the blessings she writes on every painting. She has a popular website with a store that offers about 300 different prints. Her print and card lines are distributed internationally. She has been featured in newspapers, magazines, NPR, and on television. An author and illustrator, Deborah is represented by Linda Konner Literary Agency in NYC.
Deborah Cavenaugh paints comfortable scenes and familiar images from life as we know it. She invites the viewer into her world—a world that they already recognize from their own. Cavenaugh’s watercolors are colorful and complicated. She is known for the sayings she writes on each and every piece—sayings, Cavenaugh says, are “all about making life a little easier, a little more joyful, and helping us all to recognize that on any day, while the list of all that is going wrong could be written down, the list of all that is going right could never be finished”.
*if you would like to be notified when the fabric is released, send an email to Deborah@DeborahCavenaugh.com and you will added to the mailing list.
Oh my goodness, I have been such a frustrated fabric designer. If you have followed my art, you know I am always designing table cloths, sheets, wall paper, upholstery and on and on. Ok. So, now I am going to do it. Be patient and check back (or leave your name to be notified). I promise to make my fabrics as full-on Deborah Cavenaugh as they can be. What fun! (P.S...I designed the fabric on the couch when I was creating my card line.)
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I paint from my imagination. Even when I paint about a place that really exists, I paint it more how it would look in a dream or a wonderful memory. I paint about the joy of this moment and the goodness of life. I paint about all of those good moments we don't take time to cherish. And, I finish each piece with something I write (right up on the painting) about being positive, having hope, believing in a better day.
No prints are ever made of any artwork I sell as an original.
October 01, 2008 - Encore Magazine - Lauren Hodges
Hodges' article about Wrightsville Avenue Working Artist Studios (WAWAS) of which Deborah Cavenaugh is a founding member.
I love painting art for children. My prints run in themes from seaside to animals to vehicles to Mother Goose and so on. I am always adding a new print so check back. If you have an subject idea for me, send an e mail. You can view all the works in the collection in the online store under Childrens.
March 20, 2008 - Wilmington Star News - John Staton
Article about Deborah Cavenaugh and the positive messages she promotes from within her art.
"Her bright watercolors, many of them beach and garden scenes or still-lifes inscribed with hand written affirmations ("I'm believing all things are possible"), are instantly recognizable and emit a kind of hard-worn serenity."
On the beach... in the city... or around the neighborhood... Deborah Cavenaugh uses her colorful and playful artistry to bring alive a unique portrait of your special place.
Working from your photographs, artist Deborah Cavenaugh creates a special memory of your home... or your home-away-from-home.
[osflv EP12/]
Deborah takes us for a closer look at "life flows sweetly by down by the sea" and discusses the familiar female figure in this and many of her paintings, Mrs. Mazursky. The iconographic Mrs. Mazursky was very important in building Deborah's desire to become an artist, and her emergence a breakthrough moment for the artist.
[osflv EP11/]
Deborah Looks Closer at her painting, "today is my new day," and discusses the ways in which her art relates to her life as well as the inspiration for some of the images and symbols that appear in her work. She reveals that this work came at a time of great transition pointing out the ways in which it relates to her personal journey.