The Paint Splash

Welcome to my new blog.

My name is Debbie

I live in Indiana on a small lake outside of Indianapolis.
My sister Ann (tin and sparkle) is an avid blogger and she has encouraged me to try this out.

I can't remember a time that I didn't love to draw. When I was in 3rd grade I was in the hospital and a muralist was painting the children's wing. That was the beginning of a lifetime love of Art. It was the one subject I excelled in in school. After marring young I dabbled in art for many years and became serious again while was we lived in Germany working for the government. I had the rare opportunity to take an oil class by an artist named Herr Fritz Gorlach in a small town outside of Heidelberg. The class consisted of 5 students. We watched Herr Gorlach paint for 3 hours while we took notes. We never picked up a brush in class. During the following week we had a time that we picked up the painting in the stage it was at and worked on our own canvas copying his work. This was a fascinating way to learn.

After several years of painting and a few classes at Purdue after we had moved back to the states, I had the chance to fulfill a lifetime dream. A Christian school offered me a job teaching their art program. I taught for 15 years before I left and started my own Mural business.

DD Designs was started by painting for friends for a small fee to establish a portfolio and by word of mouth I became so busy I was booked weeks in advance within a year. I always tried to keep my prices within reach of the average homemaker.

I loved the work! Planning and bringing to life the dream of my clients was so much fun. Many of the rooms I painted were for children. The joy in their faces was always worth the hours on the ladder.

Five years ago the work started taking a toll on my back. I have been diagnosed with degenerative disks. I can no longer paint for the hours it took and the hauling in of tools and ladders. I do still do canvas at home.

One sad piece of mural work is that eventually, unlike the Sistine Chapel, my work gets painted over. That is the reason I want to share my work with others. Maybe the whimsy will bring a smile or maybe it will encourage others to step out and follow a dream.

I pray you enjoy the works I post and maybe I will join a few of the other things like vintage days or blue mondays. Have fun and enjoy the view!