Artist Profile: Deborah Tidwell

Art Imitating Life

By Natalie del Valle

Painting is one of the many art forms that can capture the beauty of the surrounding world, but it takes a truly talented painter to see the moments worth bringing to life. Georgia painter Deborah Tidwell is an expert at spotting and capturing perfect images with oil paints, a brush and a canvas. My inspiration comes from the life around me, she says.

Deborah Tidwells passion for art has always been a part of her life. She had a desire to create from a very early age. Perhaps its a part of my genes! My passion for art has just always been in me, she says. Although Deborah dabbled in art her whole life, it wasnt until recently that she was truly able to explore her talents. I had a degree in marketing from Georgia State University, but in 2003, I decided to quit my marketing job to go into real estate. Within the next four weeks, I found out I was pregnant. This was my opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom and devote my spare time to art, she says.

In the months after she left her job, Deborah busied herself by taking painting and advanced art classes at the University of South Carolina- Aiken until her son was born. To this day, she still does what she loves. My sunroom is my studio. It provides fabulous lighting with its two sky lights, she says. She often spends four days a week, six hours each day, devoted to her artwork, and depending on the size and complexity of her paintings, it can take six to eight weeks to create a 36 x 48 painting. I like to create a larger piece about every two or three months. It just depends on my upcoming shows, commissions and motivation, she says.

Working from photographs, Deborah will look through hundreds of photos until she finds one that jumps out at her. The most important part of my process is choosing the image. For example, I was recently at a wedding, and the flower girl stopped to pick up some of the petals. The lighting and image was perfect. I snapped a few pictures of her, and I will eventually make those photographs into a painting, she says.

Her keen eye for the prefect image has won her several awards over the years, including some national recognition. Being able to enter shows, win awards and sell some of my paintings has been a big accomplishment. Im always humbled when I receive recognition for my paintings, she says. Abiding Calm has received numerous awards and stands as Deborah Tidwells favorite painting yet, only rivaled by Barefoot and Pregnant, which has also gotten favorable acknowledgement in the art community.

I strongly encourage others to try their hand at art. Creating art is about your enjoyment. If it becomes more, wonderful; if it doesnt, you still get the pleasure of unleashing your creative side, which is just as rewarding, Deborah says.