ARTIST

Deborra Marshall Bohrer was born in Kansas City, Missouri and now lives in the mountains of Sun Valley, Idaho.  She grew up in between the urban area of the city and her Grandfather’s farm, “The Fonderosa”.  Her Bachelor’s degree was in Interior Design.  She owned a contract design firm “Perspectives”.  She created functionally aesthetic working and living spaces in hospitals, banks, office buildings, and restaurants.  Deborra was the Drama Advisor for the theater department for Wood River High School in Hailey Idaho.  She worked feverishly on set design and department management increasing the size of the department from 10 students to 70. 

Deborra has spent the last 6years studying painting.  The first two years under the direction of Ginna Lagergren, she learned the mechanics of painting and control of color.  The next two years were spent intently searching for her own style and method.  She was able to find that style enhancing the use of color, shapes, and composition while studying with David deVillier.  

Deborra has pieces of art in private collections from Dallas & Houston  Texas, Santa Barbara California to Ketchum Idaho.  She has participated in several exhibitions for instance ‘Trailing of the Sheep’ and ‘Nami’.   Deborra will have a Gallery Opening this October at the Gilman Contemporary Gallery in Sun Valley Idaho.

Painting is what she wants to do when she grows up!

Artist Statement

My paintings are a glimpse into the core of human perception.  The use of symbolism and color provokes thoughts and memories of the past and hopes that linger just out of reach for the future. Always in search of the abstracted realism of the moment I like to bring the observer into my paintings without getting lost in the sentimentality of it.  By capturing moments in time that may or may not relate to the viewer, one cannot escape the moment’s contemplation which is my intent as an artist. 

As a child my imagination was enlivened by color and imagery in the natural world. I was most excited when I was able to live visually, when the sense of exploration never failed to provide an outcome of delight.  The surprise I felt coming out of a thick overgrowth of trees into the light witnessing the spectacular range of greens beaming from the warmth of the sun and close by a florescent green snake winding its way down the rough brown bark of the tree inspires the richness of the colors that I use.  The heightened sense of smell, along with the physical and visual stimulus that I felt on my grandfather’s farm when I would jump into the corn bin barefoot and sink into the trough of golden kernels surrounded by the smells of old wood, musty organic material, and fresh cut hay…..these memories continually refresh my childhood delight at play. All of these accumulated experiences are what I borrow from when I am painting. 

It is important to me that my work resonates with the viewer and encourages a fresh journey into these paintings which is unique to that individual.  Savoring our past and helping to unfold our common experiences no matter where they took place is what unites all of us in the universal community.  Many of my paintings are not predetermined.  I wait for the door to my imagination to open and find that there is an inspired direction that is not of my choosing.  I then patiently add layer upon layer of color until the depth of the paint reveals the life of the subject.

Currently, I am using old car doors or mechanical parts from different eras that represent one of my favorite themes, “Moments in Transit”.  The unique character of each door is very much a part of the composition.  These pieces capture vignettes of life.  My attraction to these characters is their ability to embrace the joy of life or face their fears with the thread of innocence woven in between.  Many of these pieces are true multimedia installations so the viewer can be surprised by the discovery of found objects, old and new.