Deborah Deichler (b. 1948)
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 1948, Deborah Deichler creates whimsical paintings, combining humor and drama, magic and storytelling. Influenced by the Dutch 17th Century painters, who are known for their luminous still lifes and very fine surfaces, Deichler adds another dimension, emphasizing a realism that is ironic and absurd, yet also playful.
Deichler benefited from a strong high school art program that included oil as well as printmaking, and cites her early interest in photography as influential upon her sense of composition. She spent four years at the Philadelphia College of Art obtaining her bachelor’s degree and teaching certification in art education. After graduating from school in 1970, Deichler taught art at an overcrowded New England junior high school. She now describes the experience as “disastrous.” She left teaching and became a waitress out of economic necessity, which allowed her the freedom to paint. Her family encouraged her to take up paining as a career; in 1976, ten years after her initial bout at art school, she began classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia.
Trained as an academic painter, Deichler realized that technical expertise did not enable her to express her inner feelings. Instead her formal training has functioned as a springboard to make her work unique and contemporary. Deichler loves intricate detail and wants to create mystery and paradox in her paintings. By creating a paradoxical juxtaposition of figures, objects and fantasy, she forces herself to reach beyond her obvious technical mastery.
Deichler’s paintings flirt with the magical imagery and surrealistic drama of fairy tale illustrations. “Watermelon in Blue Russian Dish” tempt us with a luscious plateful of succulent, ripe, watermelon surrounded by silver accoutrements poised to engage the feast. These utensils (knife with porcelain handle, salt spoon, fruit fork, and linen napkin) are only a sampling of the numerous objects that often find their way into her paintings. She refers to her overflowing house as “a giant closet.”
A classical realist who plans each piece carefully, slowly building it to a higher level of refinement, Deichler precedes execution by a thorough study of the subject. She must be familiar and comfortable with the model and/or the props before paintings. After completing an active study, the artist “lives” with the subject, looking at the photos and possible backgrounds for months before she is to begin.
In order to achieve a smooth surface on her finished paintings (reminiscent of the 17th and 18th century Dutch painters), Deichler often gently sands the surface of her paintings while they are still in progress. Yet, the artist’s most unusual technical preference is that she paints canvas that is mounted on a sheet of aluminum. Appalled at the damage done to artwork when carelessly handled during transport, she employed this method. Her canvases do not sag from humidity and she has never had to restretch her paintings to keep them taut.
Deichler has exhibited at many museums and galleries, including Hollis Taggart Galleries, the Maxwell Davidson Gallery, and the Pastel Society of America, New York; the PAFA, Philadelphia; the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington; The Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia; the James A. Michner Art Center, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She has won many awards for her work, including a visual arts fellowship from the Delaware State Arts Council; the Howard Chandler Christy Award (given by the Pastel Society of America), and the Lucy Glick Memorial Award (given by the Fellowship of the PAFA). Deichler’s work is featured in various publications, such as Dramatize Your Paintings with Tonal Value, Willow Springs, Pastel Without Limits, and Women Artists Calendar.
© Copyright 2008 Hollis Taggart Galleries