CarltonDeborah Lynne

About the Artist

A native of Maine, painter since 1985, I was employed as a freelance artist for several years at a studio that produced high-end, hand-painted vintage furniture with floral motifs. I made excellent money at a young age, but after painting too many romantic cabbage roses I felt driven to get out into nature and explore landscapes. I became a plein air painter from that time on.

Eventually, I struck out for the American West, living and working seasonally in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho numerous times. Poems rambled onto paper as I drove through the Great Plains, indigo mountains and red rock canyons and for the first time, all the colors of the palette were in full and exciting use. For several years I worked as a wilderness cook for outfitters and ranches, mainly as a way to be in the backcountry. But while living in the Rockies was a spiritually enlightening experience, these jobs were rough. No matter how beautiful the location, if you’re working 90 hours a week, you’re going to hurt and there is not much left to paint with at day’s end.

As one of my favorite boss’s put it at the end of the season, “Well Cookie, ya tried to make vegetarians outta’ all of us.” “I know it Chuck, but y’all tried to make a man outta me, and dammit you know I don’t have the right equipment!” Chuck remains a good friend and even accepted my many caricatures and stories of him with humor. Though the memories are many, thankfully, I no longer choose those jobs. I painted out West from 1993 until returning to Maine in 2001 with a beautiful portfolio of images.

As a way of coming full circle, I put together all the stories and poems of these travels into two books, which I illustrated, designed and self-published. The first book is Confessions of the Hired Spatula, a collection of outfitter stories, recipes and a “proper cowboy lampooning.” It is the humorous outer journey, to Lake Solitude, a collection of poems and short stories – the spiritual inner journey that happens when one seeks to dramatically change one’s life. Both books can be found at www.trafford.com in the bookstore section.

Back home I continue to paint, write and maintain an alternative healing practice. For me, healing is drawn from the same source as art.

Working with people in a healing way is an art,
and art is undeniably healing.

ONE WOMAN SHOWS

Galeyrie Fine Art - Falmouth, Maine. Memorial through Labor Day, 1998.
El Mundo Magico Showcase at Tlaquepaque - Sedona, Arizona. February 1994.
Renaissance Gallery - Farmingdale, Maine. August - November 1994.
Dunroven Gallery - Gardiner, Maine. Winter of 1993.


EXHIBITS

Jameson Gallery – Portland, Maine. Group show, 2000
Diamond Cove Gallery – Great Diamond Island, Maine. Summer of 1999.
Raven Fine Arts - Cody, Wyoming. Represented and on exhibit from 1994-96.
Talent Tree Art Gallery - Augusta, Maine. Group exhibit 1991-93.
The Gallery at Six Deering Street - Portland, Maine. Annual Invitational Juried Exhibition, 1990 and 1992.