Today we’d like to introduce you to Deborah Shapiro.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
While I had art classes in high school, I never did anything with it. Once in college, I went into the video business, which I did for 35 years. That changed once I turned 50 and had two jaw surgeries. As I was recovering, my mother provided me with a lot of magazines to keep me occupied. I thought they were colorful, so I ripped them up and started to make collages, using the paper in place of paint. After a couple of years, I started to sell my works at festivals and galleries. Now, ten years after my surgeries, this is what I do full-time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest challenge was finding the courage to end my video career so I could create and sell art full-time, which was a leap of faith at my age. Before I could do that, it required a lot of research, learning how to talk about my art, and continually improve on my techniques. I did both art and video for a couple of years until I felt I could financially drop the video business and do what I love by creating art.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My collages are created from bits of magazines; no paint is used. From a distance, you see the main subject of the art. Up close you see the words and images I find in magazines. Not many artists do this style in my area, which helps me stand out. What I enjoy about this is that people don’t realize what they are made of until I ask them to get up close to look at the details. It adds an extra layer of interest to my works. This is also a challenge for me while I work on the collages since I have to step back about ten feet to see if the bit, I added works or not.
What brings me the most satisfaction and joy is hearing why someone is buying one of my originals. Each person seems to have some connection to the piece that I never thought of as I was working on it. I’m also grateful that my work has been nationally recognized and has been licensed to be on the cover of a book, a few publications, in corporate offices, and even on an eyeglass case.
What are your plans for the future?
At the ripe old age of 60, I’m looking down the road to what retirement may be. I’ll never stop making art, but I may cut back on doing festivals. They are a lot of work to do by yourself. Recently, I started to explore digital art to create collage paper to mix with magazines because finding just the right piece can be time-consuming. I’m also playing with acrylics to perhaps do some mixed-media works that incorporate paper. Plus, I’m considering a video podcast with another artist and workshops. I have a lot of ideas and interests, so we will see what actualizes. As an artist, I want to evolve and keep up with new techniques, even as my hair turns grey and my body ages much to my dismay.
Pricing:
- Original start at $800 and vary depending on size.
- Prints are $45-$65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deborahshapiroart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deborahshapiroart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deborahshapiroart/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/montrosevideo
Image Credits
Mark Shapiro
