Deborah Lightfield, an award-winning Northeast Florida artist, will be the featured artist of the month for September at the Butterfield Garage Art Gallery, 137 King St., St. Augustine. Her opening reception will be held at the gallery during their popular First Friday Artwalk, 5-9 p.m. Sept. 6.
Lightfield will be on hand and will be showcasing new artwork using a unique and elevated ocean wash technique. At 6 p.m., she will take the floor to talk about this technique, offer suggestions and take questions.
Lightfield is widely celebrated for her captivating artworks that intricately blend realism with elements of surrealism, inviting viewers into enchanting worlds of imagination and introspection. Her mastery of light, color and texture imbues her pieces with a transcendent quality that resonates deeply with audiences.
She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the James Madison University in Virginia before pursuing a career as a jewelry designer and creator, and art teacher. Since settling in Ponte Vedra, she has participated in a variety of juried arts shows in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine and has won awards from the St. Augustine Art Association and the Art Center in Jacksonville.
She is currently a member of the Butterfield Gallery Art Gallery and the Professional Artists of St. Augustine (PAStA) Fine Art Gallery.
Lightfield’s ocean wash technique was a process she began years ago and has implemented in her body of artwork. She has elevated the process to create fine artwork that is archival. With the ocean as her source of inspiration and influence, she uses the natural processes of ocean waves to create random patterns on her watercolor paper or canvas.
The ocean wash process may take several days to dry, after which excess sand is swept away and, from the resulting complex shapes and colors, Lightfield allows her inspiration to move her by including additional painting techniques.
Over the years, she has approached the process with various applications from pre-painting the canvas or paper surfaces prior to the ocean wash or adding modeling compounds to the surface to vary the outcomes. The ocean wash technique is a constantly evolving process that continues to invigorate Lightfield’s art processes.
“I allow the natural elements of ocean waves, sand and wind to direct where the painting will go,” Lightfield said. “Once the paint is placed on the wet canvas, I can start to visualize where the painting is taking me. It’s a process I love because it is purely contemplative and expressive, while allowing the child in me to play.”
Lightfield’s website, lightfieldart.com, showcases current and archived work.
