We recently connected with Deborah Di Vita Glascott and have shared our conversation below.

Deborah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you ever had an amazing boss, mentor or leader leading you? Can you us a story or anecdote that helps illustrate why this person was such a great leader and the impact they had on you or their team?

I have had a few instructors who left me with lasting impressions. The first was my high school art teacher, Sam Vaccaro, who incidentally just passed away at the age of 100! He was the first to teach basic concepts of design, technique, and composition, and he made it fun enough to instill in me the idea that art was indeed worth pursuing. At the age of 17, I gave no thought to career stability or salary, and I’m glad of it. I may not have continued on. Others were professors who saw things in my work that I would not have thought of on my own, and they gave me the courage and inspiration to continue despite my misgivings.
I have had the great fortune to have worked with Sister Tomasita [”What is the color of the edge of things?”], David Driesbach, Tim Ade [”You use bruised colors…”], Jack Burnham, Ed Paschke [”That’s great. Now throw something in there that is totally unexpected!”], and most recently as co-curator with Steve Sherrell at Water Street Studios in Batavia, IL, who through his silent, persistent encouragement compels me to forge ahead.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My influences are many, and outside of my desire to inspire a sense of why and where, they include incorporating design, composition and object-to-space relationship.
Oil painting is my means of expression.
Through mostly traditional techniques, I employ elements of color theory, composition, and the use of patterns to contextualize a modern sense of intimacy. My subjects are figurative in nature. Whether they are people, plants, or chairs, I see them all as portraits – all possessing a spirit, mood, or personality that I feel compelled to communicate.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

In former days, I strove to achieve relevancy. I found that my constant search to find the perfect subject, message, or intention, was in fact inhibiting the actual act of painting. I mow feel that it is simply most important to just paint, and try to paint every day.
My mission is to try paint every day, and to convince people that it is worth every minute to give artists the time to look at art.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To see in others, the “AH HA!” moment when they either like or understand the visual representation in front of them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://waterstreetstudios.org/artist-collective
• Instagram: @divitaglascott
• Other: https://waterstreetstudios.org

Image Credits

Headshot Photo Credit: David Wensel