| Artist | Debra Keirce | Resides | United States |
| Website | debkart.com | Medium | Oil Graphite Charcoal |
| Representing Gallery | Seaside Art Gallery Nags Head, NC. USA Cortile Gallery Provincetown, MA. USA | Deb@DebKArt.com | |
| Follow the Artist | Instagram | Facebook | Themes | Love Western Quirky Miniature First Responders |
| Press | debkart.com/about |
About the artist
Debra Keirce delights in the process of painting any and all subjects. She was a biochemical engineer in the 1980’s and 1990’s, leading teams that built pharmaceutical facilities in New England and then in Indiana. Her approach to art is with the same project leader mentality and she looks forward to all the problem solving she gets to do each day as she creates.
Debra’s favorite places in the museums are 17th century art, the trompe l’oeil paintings, and the drawers of miniature portraits. All of these genres shine a light on the technical skills of the artists. To her mind, we are all illusionists. Creating art on a flat surface that is so realistic as to evoke a strong emotion or memory – this feels magical to her. Her creative process is much more geared toward pleasing the senses than following a strict formula. “I enjoy finding ways to successfully break the rules taught in art schools“.
The work that Debra Keirce has done for the Langham Hotel in Boston and the US Coast Guard government collection are a large part of her legacy. The funny thing is, when she began painting full time fifteen years ago, she had no idea she even wanted a legacy. This art journey has a way of delivering the most amazing unscripted and treasured memories.
Artwork Themes & Subject Matter
Debra Keirce works from the size of your palm to four feet tall. The true miniature pieces are less than 25 in sq and ⅙ life size or smaller. It is a genre that harkens back to the work of the scribes and European miniature portrait artists, and it intrigues her. Miniature work is so small and detailed that it invites the viewer to lean in, get closer, and experience the art with more intimacy.
Her current series “I am calling HeartFelt”, they are works done in a trompe l’oeil style that explore the many facets of loving relationships. We live our lives seeking an understanding of love, and often that is so elusive. The mystery, passion and wealth of emotion in love stories – it never gets old.
People, places and things all over the planet demand the attention of her creative spirit, but the American west holds a special place in her heart. Debra finds the people in the heartland and southwest to be patriotic, hardworking, genuine and kind. These are all virtues she aspires to. It is the experiences with them that she works so hard to convey through her art.
The Langham Hotel in Boston, MA USA has 8 of her allegorical, quirky portraits that are 40 inches tall, and also 3 of her still life miniatures. These are paintings of past Federal Reserve Bank of Boston presidents, created in the style of New England portrait artist John Singleton Copley. The US Coast Guard has 11 of her first responder paintings in their collection. These are oil paintings that tell the stories of our American heroes.
“I’m a story teller, and there are so many stories to tell”.
Press
Debra Keirce’s paintings have been featured in notable magazines including Western Art Colllector Magazine, International Artist Magazine, Elan Magazine, Broadlands Living Magazine, and Ashburn Magazine.
Upcoming exhibitions
| When | Exhibition | Gallery |
| October 2023 | Group exhibition: “International Guild of Realism Fall Online Salon” | Online |
| November 2023 | Group exhibition: “28th Annual Gateway to the Rockies Art Show” | Aurora Central Library Colorado, USA |
| November 2023 | Group exhibition: “Miniature Painters Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington DC- 90th Anniversary International Exhibition” | The Mansion at Strathmore Rockville, MD. USA |
| June 2024 | Group exhibition: “Artists Painting Stories – Traveling Exhibition – Small Wonders” | Albrecht-Kemper Museum St. Joseph, MO, USA MonDak Museum Sidney, MT, USA River Valley Arts Center Russellville, AR. USA |
| July 2024 | Solo exhibition: “Experiences Big and Small” | Smith Galleries Harrisonburg, VA. USA |
| June 2025 | Group exhibition: “Women. Arists. Masters. Travelling Exhibition – Good as Gold” | Deines Cultural Center Museum Russell, KS. USA Ashe County Arts Council Gallery West Jefferson, NC. USA MonDak Museum Sidney, MT. USA WaterWorks Art Museum Miles City, MT. USA |
CV
Education
A lifetime of self-directed study, including the curriculum of Ani Art Academies, created by her mentor Anthony Waichulis.
Award
2022 Invited to 5 Day Deployment on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone as an artist resident.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2020
Merica, Customs House Art Museum, Clarkesville, TN. United States
2019
Gifted, Wine Attic in Clifton, VA. United States
Homage to the Masters, Bella Arte Gallery Solo shows, art talks and Interactive Demonstration in Midlothian, VA. United States
Realism, Purcellville Library, Purcellville, VA. United States
2018
Inspired by the Masters, Seaside Art Gallery in Nags Head, NC. United States
As Life Happens show, Ellis-Nicholson Gallery in Charleston, NC. United States
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Bosque Art Classic, Clifton, TX. United States
Art of the Heartland, Mean Art Gallery, Mena, AR. United States
National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Best of America Small Works show, Mary Williams Fine Art in Boulder, CO. United States
International Guild of Realism show, Sugarman Peterson Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. United States
3 Person show, River Valley Arts Center, Russellville, AR. United States
Two 3 Person shows, Deines Cultural Center, Russell, KS. United States
Two 3 Person shows, Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, NC. United States
3 Person show, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL. United States
American Artists Professional League annual exhibition, Howland Arts Center in Beacon, NY. United States
Women Artists of the West National Exhibition and Sale, Carriage Factory Art Gallery in Newton, KS. United States
2022
Women Artists of the West National Exhibition and Sale, McBride Gallery in Annapolis, MD. United States
Long Beach Island Foundation Unmasked Exhibition, Loveladies, NJ. United States
Academic Artists 72nd Exhibition of Traditional Realism, Hartford, CT. United States
Small Works Show Southwest Artists, Mena Gallery, Mena, AR. United States
Inaugural Exhibitions at Salmagundi Club, Federal Hall National Memorial, Union League Club-all in New York, NY. United States
International Society of Experimental Artists Exhibition, St. Albert Gallery in Alberta, Canada
Artists Painting Stories 4 person show, Florence Thomas Art School in West Jefferson, NC. United States
3 Person show, Colgan Gallery in Manassas, VA. United States
2021
Arts Thrive Invitational Exhibition, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM. United States
Art of the Heartland Exhibition, Mena Art Gallery, Mena, AR. United States
Coast Guard Art Collection, Salmagundi Club, NY. United States
Show Lifting the Sky, American Women Artists Museum
Figuratively Speaking, Salmagundi Club, NY. United States
Abide Show, The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, VA. United States
2020
3 Person show, The Arts Center, The Art Factory, Manassa, VA. United States
North X Northwest, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT. United States
American Women Artists, Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA. United States
ArtScape exhibition of banners, Old Town Winchester, VA. United States
