About Deborah L. Newton
In the summer of 1956, Deborah L. Newton began her journey as an artist when she received a Katherine Lord Scholarship for art lessons at the Burpee Museum of Art (now RAM). A seed was sown.
In 1973, following participation in and awards from many regional art exhibitions, Deborah made her first painting sale at RAM's Greenwich Village Art Fair. This sale sprouted into hundreds of "I paint what I feel, not what I see" canvases, which found homes in many Rockford residences and businesses.
Though primarily self-taught, tutelage from Pat Crew, Andrew Langoussis, and Tom Heflin resulted in Deborah's growth as a painter and artist.
-
My life as an artist is deeply rooted in Rockford.
The seeds were sown as an eighth grader when I was awarded a scholarship for art classes at Rockford Art Museum, then known as the Burpee Art Museum. My first painting sold years later at RAM’s Greenwich Village Art Fair, sprouting into hundreds of canvases — finding homes in many Rockford homes and businesses. Making the commitment to full-time art and establishing my roots in a dreamy sky-lit studio downtown on Market Street has given me such joy…and now this award — the first annual Jessica Holt Purchase Award, which places Red on the Roof I in the permanent collection of Rockford Art Museum. I am thrilled and honored. Honored to be a part of Jessica Holt’s gift to the community of artists and thrilled to be able in my lifetime to see my visual expression grow and bloom. To reach one other person inspires and sustains my work. I am enriched by this generosity.
- Deborah L. Newton, 1992
