Bio
Deborah Laranjeira was born to Brazilian parents in Brasília, Brazil. She grew up in the United States and lived in various cities across the country until finally settling temporarily in Northern California to complete her degree in Fine Arts at the University of San Jose in San Jose, California. In California, Deborah deepened her studies of the human figure and was greatly affected by Bay Area Figurative painters such as Richard Diebenkorn and Manuel Neri. Although her influences include post-WWII American Abstract Expressionists such as Mark Rothko, her artistic formation is greatly rooted in her international experiences and cross-cultural visual references. “My color palette is undeniably South American, but the differences of what I have seen and where I have lived are translated into images with a dramatic sense of contrast,” says Deborah about her cultural identity. Today, Deborah lives in Brasilia where she teaches and paints.
Deborah’s intense, large scale paintings of usually female faces are produced with bold brushstrokes conveying assertiveness, sensuality and reflection. Each image captures a concentrated mood with a hint of mystery. However, Deborah does not consider her painting as portraiture. Working from photographs of known and unknown models, she does not deny the human presence in her work, but the reference image is only the starting point. She is interested in the transformation that occurs as a result of dramatic responses to the variation of light, tones and textures on the face. The head almost becomes an abstract motif, a series of planes on which light and color can play and expand. Pigment changes of flesh itself serve as a generator of vivid, unnatural variations in bold color. The end result is less about the image- a “portrait” of a woman- and more about the making of the image, the process that leads to such diversity. She entertains the idea that on each plane of the face, a mini abstract painting is forming. The tension between representation and abstraction, between the illusion of depth and the flatness of paint, brings about dynamic contrasts throughout each piece.
With visible drips, thick concentrations of paint and a variety of other textures, Deborah’s technique demonstrates painterly mastery, without covering up the remnants of a loose and animated exploration. About her application of the media, Deborah comments,“ Structure and chaos are in constant conflict within me. I value form and proportion, but I want to see the paint, I want to see the evidence of a struggle – that’s what’s exciting!”
