Gallery Reserve
For Viewing Only
About Deb Manley
Represented Artist
Deb Manley was born in Little Rock and raised in California. She moved to Fayetteville in 1984 and considers it home. She primarily uses graphite and ink in her artwork but also enjoys charcoal, watercolor, pastels, acrylics, freehand embroidered portraits, and digital art. Deb studied art courses at LR Central High where she first connected with a teacher and was introduced to the formal elements of the visual arts. She took a drawing course at UALR in the early ‘70s, and then took a full load of studio art courses at the UA. She then took a painting course at Hot Springs Community College after marrying and having a son. Deb divorced and moved to Fayetteville to raise her son alone. She returned to the UA in 1990 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1993- a first generation college graduate - with a degree in Creative Writing. While she continued to sketch throughout the years, she only recently returned to more traditional materials in 2017 focusing primarily on portraiture and figure study after learning how to do digital painting in 2013.
Portraiture and figure drawing wake me up, shake me into action. I would rather draw or paint someone with unusual physical qualities, interesting body language, or someone who can contort their body rather than the normally accepted concept of beauty. I’m attracted to an averted gaze, a defiant stance, slumped shoulders, a tilt of the head - faces and body language that reveal a truth, sexuality, or emotions either dark or light. I am drawn to muses who evoke a sense of connection to my own, and others’, experiences, feelings. Most importantly I look for heart. I try to convey something more than what is reflected in my eye. I want a resemblance to my subject matter, but also something deeper, something that evokes a relatable feeling in me and the viewer.
About the art
Deb Manley was born in Little Rock and raised in California. She moved to Fayetteville in 1984 and considers it home. She primarily uses graphite and ink in her artwork but also enjoys charcoal, watercolor, pastels, acrylics, freehand embroidered portraits, and digital art. Deb studied art courses at LR Central High where she first connected with a teacher and was introduced to the formal elements of the visual arts. She took a drawing course at UALR in the early ‘70s, and then took a full load of studio art courses at the UA. She then took a painting course at Hot Springs Community College after marrying and having a son. Deb divorced and moved to Fayetteville to raise her son alone. She returned to the UA in 1990 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1993- a first generation college graduate - with a degree in Creative Writing. While she continued to sketch throughout the years, she only recently returned to more traditional materials in 2017 focusing primarily on portraiture and figure study after learning how to do digital painting in 2013.
Portraiture and figure drawing wake me up, shake me into action. I would rather draw or paint someone with unusual physical qualities, interesting body language, or someone who can contort their body rather than the normally accepted concept of beauty. I’m attracted to an averted gaze, a defiant stance, slumped shoulders, a tilt of the head - faces and body language that reveal a truth, sexuality, or emotions either dark or light. I am drawn to muses who evoke a sense of connection to my own, and others’, experiences, feelings. Most importantly I look for heart. I try to convey something more than what is reflected in my eye. I want a resemblance to my subject matter, but also something deeper, something that evokes a relatable feeling in me and the viewer.