Debra Slonim

Debra Slonim has been working for the past year on a different way of approaching painting. She has been using oil paints ever since her Grandma Kate taught her how to use them when she was ten years old. During that time she was also inspired by the Meet the Masters program at her school where they would show slides of Van Gogh’s masterpieces, which furthered her curiosity and love of fine arts. When Slonim decided to pursue being a fine artist, she attended community college and her paintings where rejected immediately. This experience caused her anxiety about her artwork, and for two years she quit painting altogether. She eventually returned to painting, and ever since has had a desire to prove herself. Recently through a multicultural art history class, she came across the works of Jean Michel Basquiat, and his fast method of painting in acrylics inspired her to take a new path in painting. Debra Slonim now works on mixed media acrylic pieces that are based on the community that surrounds her. She works by being attentive to the environment when she is painting, and observant of the colors around her. What she observes is immediately put into her paintings. This method creates a stream of consciousness feeling almost as if the viewer can see her thought process. Debra Slonim has shown her artwork in student shows from Orange County to Ventura County. She lives in Camarillo with her paintbrushes and her excitement for learning more about the fine arts.