Deborah Lightfield, an award-winning Northeast Florida artist, will be the Feature Artist of the month of September at the historic Butterfield Garage Art Gallery located at 137 King Street, in Saint Augustine. Her opening reception will be held at the gallery during their popular First Friday Artwalk, September 6th from 5 pm to 9 pm. Deborah will be on hand and will be showcasing new artworks using a unique and elevated Ocean Wash technique. At 6 pm, she will take the floor to talk about this technique offer suggestions and take questions.

Deborah Lightfield is widely celebrated for her captivating artworks that intricately blend realism with elements of surrealism, inviting viewers into enchanting worlds of imagination and introspection. Her mastery of light, color, and texture imbues her pieces with a transcendent quality that resonates deeply with audiences. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the James Madison University in Virginia before pursuing a career as a jewelry designer and creator, and art teacher. Since settling in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Deborah has participated in a variety of juried arts shows in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, and Saint Augustine, and has won awards from the St. Augustine Art Association, and the Art Center in Jacksonville. She is currently an outstanding member of the Butterfield Gallery Art Gallery and the Professional Artists of St. Augustine (PAStA) Fine Art Gallery.

Deborah’s Ocean Wash technique was a process she began years ago and has implemented in her body of artwork. She has elevated the process to create fine artwork that is archival.  With the ocean as her source of inspiration and influence, Deborah uses the natural processes of ocean waves to create random patterns on her watercolor paper or canvas. The Ocean Wash process may take several days to dry, after which excess sand is swept away and from the resulting complex shapes and colors, she allows her inspiration to move her by including additional painting techniques. Over the years, she has approached the process with various applications from pre-painting the canvas or paper surfaces prior to the Ocean Wash or adding modeling compounds to the surface to vary the outcomes. The Ocean Wash technique is a constantly evolving process that continues to invigorate Deborah’s art processes.

“I allow the natural elements of ocean waves, sand, and wind to direct where the painting will go,” Deborah elaborated. “Once the paint is placed on the wet canvas, I can start to visualize where the painting is taking me. It’s a process I love because it is purely contemplative and expressive, while allowing the child in me to play.”

Deborah Lightfield demonstrated her Ocean Wash technique on First Coast News. Her website showcases current and archived work, and stay in touch with Deborah’s new art and exhibitions by following her Facebook page and Instagram. Deborah’s art work is available for purchase at the Butterfield Garage Art Gallery and the PAStA Fine Art Gallery.

About Butterfield Garage Art Gallery:

Established in February 1999, Butterfield Garage Art Gallery is the brainchild of artist Jan Miller. Her vision was to create an artist-run gallery for professional artists that would encourage creative experimentation. Miller brought with her the experience of over 40 years as a successful professional artist. Having been a former member of ARC Cooperative in Chicago, Jan wanted to create a similar collective here in her new home. Her plan was to bring together the best artists in the area, who would share expenses, management, and operation of the gallery. The gallery opened its doors in February 1999.

For 25 years now, the Butterfield Garage Art Gallery has provided its artists with the chance to grow and take advantage of opportunities that may come their way through exposure in a professional gallery. And we continue to this day, true to the gallery’s original mission: to be a leader in the presentation of traditional and contemporary visual arts in Northeast Florida, and to encourage the experience of direct accessibility and dialogue between artists and their customers.

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