Arizona inspired

Deborah Minarik is an artist who is deeply inspired by the desert landscapes of Arizona. Born in Tucson, Arizona, her family moved from the state when she was quite young. As an adult, she had a long and successful career in the corporate world, where she used her instinctive creative sensibilities to design and remodel homes. That experience led her to begin a new career in interior design, and she returned to college in 2010, obtaining her BA in Interior Design. Deborah achieved great success in this role, ultimately becoming the Director of Design at a boutique design firm where she became known for creating residential designs that combined the key elements of practicality and artistry. As a designer, she actively practiced color theory, design, and spatial relationships, all of which have become foundational skills for her painting career. Throughout her life, the artist inwardly had a deep desire to paint but felt it was not something she could try. Her initial venture into art was taking photographs of landscapes, and although it was enjoyable, she still had a curiosity and an unquenched hunger to paint.
 
In 2017 Deborah relocated to Arizona. She had not visited her birthplace since childhood, and in 2018 she took a trip to Tucson, which became an epiphany for her. During her visit, she experienced a spiritual awakening of such intensity that it drove her to paint. The artist has been painting for the past six years and now enjoys a daily painting practice. The joy Deborah feels and expresses on her canvases is contrasted by the intensity of loss she has experienced in her life. From this grief journey, Deborah has rediscovered joy. She intentionally and intuitively expresses that joy on each canvas, which has become her signature style as well as her message, urging people not to give up on finding joy and to keep a spiritual element in their lives. Deborah has developed and mastered her own unique style of painting landscapes of the Southwest. Although her initial inspiration is derived from viewing nature, her paintings do not replicate nature, and prior to painting, Deborah carefully composes the elements of each landscape during the sketching process. As such, her paintings become re-imagined landscapes where she interprets nature's design, adds new elements, and incorporates a palette of bright, and bold colors.

Deborah Minarik is an artist who creates imaginative and emotive landscape paintings that convey her love of the Southwest and the joy that it brings her. The artist remains dedicated to continuous learning and believes in learning from the masters. She regularly attends museum shows and is always on a quest to increase her knowledge of the subject of art. Deborah is a member of Artists in Arizona, Arizona Plein Air Painters, and the Sonoran Arts League. Several of her paintings have been licensed, and many or her originals can be found in private collections across the country.