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Deborah Maklowski

Painter, Pastels & Color Pencils often combined with acrylic & gouache; Mixed media

Deborah Maklowski is an accomplished artist in colored pencil, acrylic, pastel and mixed media, who began studying drawing and painting with private instructors at the age of 9. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, and maintains her professional development through workshops with nationally known instructors, networking with her fellow artists, and a focused studio and plein air practice. Deborah teaches introductory and advanced colored pencil classes and workshops in central Maryland and is a dual signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, currently serving on the CPSA national governing board as President. She is also a past president and signature member of the Maryland Pastel Society, a juried member of the Pastel Society of America and the Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society (MPSGS) of Washington D.C., and a member of the MidAtlantic Plein Air Painters Association, the Maryland Federation of Art, and the Cider Painters of America. Her award-winning work has been juried into numerous national and regional exhibitions and plein air competitions and is included in private collections across the U.S.

Artist’s Statement
Deborah works in a variety of media and genres, including impressionist landscapes in acrylic, colored pencil, and pastel, representational drawings in graphite and ink, and landscape-inspired abstracts in colored pencil and mixed media. With a focus on excellence in composition, her primary goal is to manipulate color, value, line, and edges to draw the viewer into and around the picture plane, to create the illusion of atmosphere, mood, and depth, and to provide an engaging mental space where the viewer is invited to find his or her own compelling story in the work. Deborah never has a “message”: she creates art for the deep fulfillment she finds in overcoming the challenges inherent in the art-making process, for the satisfaction of learning to master the materials, for the fun of occasional happy accidents, and for the sheer visual and physical joy of it, seeking to share with the viewer the sublime beauty she finds in the world all around her, in forms both natural and man-made.

Selected National and International Exhibitions and Awards

• CPSA International Exhibitions (2006-2020): Award for Excellence, 2018; Award for Distinction, 2020
• CPSA “Explore This!” International Online Exhibitions (2013-2019): Awards for Excellence, 2014 and 2019
• MAPAPA Small Plein Air Works Exhibition, Havre de Grace, MD (2019): 1st Place
• Sister Cities Exhibition, Chateau Grouchy, Cergy-Pontoise, France (2018)
• Philadelphia Watercolor Society, Works on Paper Exhibitions (2016-2018): awards in 2016, 2017
• MPSGS International Exhibitions (2011 -2019): Drawing Category awards: 1st Place (3x), 2nd Place (3x), 3rd Place (1x) & Honorable Mention (1x)
• Miniature Art Society of Florida, Dunedin, FL (2018): Best Work by 1st Time Entrant
• Cider Painters of America International Exhibit, Kingston, PA (2017): Scott Award
• Maryland Federation of Art’s “Small Wonders,” Annapolis (2016): Juror’s Choice Award
• “Connection” Invitational Exhibition, Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY (2016)
• International Guild of Realism 10th Annual International Juried Exhibition, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA (2015)
• “Pastel Unleashed,” a pastel + mixed media show, Bethesda, MD (2014): Honorable Mention
• “Paint the Town” Plein Air Competition, Chestertown, MD (2013-2019): Best in Show, 2013
• International Guild of Realism 7th Annual International Juried Exhibition, Carmel, CA (2012)
• International Guild of Realism “Leading Masters of Contemporary Realism,” Cape Cod, MA, (2007)

Publications

• “Strokes of Genius 12,” Best of Drawing (publication slated for Nov 2020)
• Featured Artist, Colored Pencil Magazine, Feb 2020
• “Colored Pencil Comes of Age in the International Art World,” International Artist, Oct/Nov 2018
• “CP Treasures, Vol V,” Ann Kullberg, 2017
• “CP Hidden Treasures,” Ann Kullberg, 2013
• “Realist Tradition,” American Art Collector, September 2012
• “Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing,” North Light Books, 2007.

Download the Artist’s full, detailed resume.