Contact me
Images of most of my sold artworks are available as prints on cards, coffee mugs, clothing, etc., through my online “print-on-demand” shops at Zazzle and Redbubble. Contact me (e-mail cupid “at” dhp-art.com) about an original artwork, or to commission a work.
Bio
Also see resumé
Deborah Howard-Page was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, into a family of creative folks. Her parents collaborated on making a coffee table, into which they set their own, hand-painted tiles. Her maternal grandfather was a composer and conductor in Berlin; all her siblings are musicians. Her paternal grandmother allowed her grandchildren to engage in daily imaginary outdoor play with mud, weeds, wood, etc. Her paternal great aunt, a milliner by trade, encouraged her to make things with scraps of leftover hat fabrics, feathers, buttons and glue.
After being assigned to paint a portrait for a 5th grade class history project, Deborah began to identify as a visual artist. No one openly discouraged this notion for the rest of her life.
When she was twelve, Deborah’s father, a Hollywood actor, was hired to teach English and drama at the local Waldorf school enabling Deborah and her younger siblings to attend on a faculty scholarship. It was there that Deborah’s affinity for nature and fine art were nurtured. Deborah also studied classical ballet daily from her mother, a former soloist with the Berlin State Opera.
In addition to pursuing a variety of interests and occupations as an adult (working in a designer’s studio, studying and performing in ballet and modern dance, as well as teaching preschoolers part time), Deborah took evening art classes at Los Angeles area Otis Art Institute and Art Center College of Design, having previously worked there as a live model and listening attentively to what the instructors had to say.
Moving to San Francisco, Deborah earned her B.F.A. in painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. After graduating, Deborah enrolled in an evening course, called Business for Artists, at City College of San Francisco. It was taught by artist, writer, and founding member of San Francisco Open Studios, Toby Judith Klayman. Deborah joined ArtSpan’s San Francisco Open Studios as a member, continuing participation from 1996 to 2019.
Appreciation
Artists whose work, advice, and friendship I have appreciated and enjoyed over the years have been: Mark Stock, Hifumi Ogawa, Ronnie Sampson, and Francesca Pastine, through whom I subsequently met and befriended artists Ciara Bedingfield, P.K. Kelly, Hadley Northrop, Leslie Bauer, Amanda Haas, Nancy White, and Marta Sanchez-Vasquez, to name a few.
Thanks to Bob Hsiang and Ciara Bedingfield for fine art and portrait photography.
To the art department (plus unforgettable writing instructor, Sister Laurentia at Mt. St. Mary’s College, Chalon Campus) and to Los Angeles Valley College, Foothill Community College, to Jeanne Marie Hughes at City College of San Francisco, and to my San Francisco Art Institute instructors Tom Akawie, Julius Hatofsky, Franklin Williams, Carlos Villa, Bruce McGaw and others, my gratitude. In addition, Mara Freeman’s Celtic workshop at U.C. Santa Cruz was informative when I was immersing myself in years of studying ancient Celtic tree lore while reading The White Goddess by Robert Graves. “Moran taing!”
Deepest thanks to S Page and to our families, as well as to all friends and patrons, for all your support.