New Work..The Four Elements and the Moon, Sun and Stars!

I am so excited to show you all my newest portraits! I have eight new paintings from my recent show at City Art Gallery in San Francisco!

The first series (the larger pieces) are based on the four elements…Earth, Wind, Fire and Water

The second series is and ode to the Sun, Moon and Stars.

Bonus painting: In Bloom.

All of the paintings are done in watercolor and gouache paints.

Here’s my wall at the gallery!

My apologies for not getting this post up earlier, May was a very busy month.

Here are the new paintings!

For Earth, I was inspired by the Renaissance and their stiff collars, and the business of bees.

Debra Styer, The Queen of the Bees, 2019

Art Print available here!

For the Fire Element, was inspired by the Victorian beauty and the ugliness and total destruction of the California wildfires.

Debra Styer, Waiting with the Ashes, 2019

Print available here in my shop.

My Wind portrait was inspired by the Medieval Era and the strength of women.

Debra Styer, Leaning into the Wind, 2019

Print available here.

My Water portrait was inspired by the Edwardian era and focusing on the power of relaxing and letting of all the things that pull us down.

Debra Styer, Floating with the Lilies, 2019 (detail)

Print available here in my shop!

For the Sun…

Debra Styer, Her Face in the Sun, 2019

Moon Love…

Debra Styer, The Moon and Mr. Fox, 2019

With a Crown of Stars…

Debra Styer, With Her Head in the Stars, 2019

A salute to Dahlias and the 1930’s…

Debra Styer, In Bloom, 2019

I hope you like them! Prints will be available soon.

Here's to the New Year...and to New Challenges!

My word inspiration for 2019 is “RISE”.

My plan for 2019 is to “rise” in my illustration career. I am ready to pursue new paths in the art/illustration world and taking on things that scare me. And when I say scare me, it might just be me taking myself seriously as a professional illustrator. Yes, it is time for that.

I am so happy to be starting 2019 off with lot of exciting new plans! I will be starting a bunch of new illustration classes that I am totally ready for. Although, I do have a BFA in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art. It is from (….gasp) 1995! So much has changed in the art/illustration world since I last took real classes. The classes I will be taking will be focus on Editorial and Childrens’ Book work as well as classes that will help build my portfolio with wonderful new work. I will also be busy creating more gallery work and trying to get into books and magazines as well as keeping my Etsy shop (and my shop here) filled with new work. It is going to be a super busy year. But, busy is a good thing…right?

As for 2018, it was a pretty amazing as far as creative growth goes. I’ve never made so much artwork! I joined my first cooperative art gallery (City Art Gallery in San Francisco) in which I took part in 4 group exhibitions and made 23 new paintings for the shows! I got my first Magazine Cover for a small Shakespeare theater in the Netherlands and an illustration in the fabulous Uppercase Magazine. I also helped co-found my first Instagram Challenge #folktaleweek . #Folktaleweek was so amazing, it made me really come out of my shell connect and discover to many incredible illustrators around the world . We will be doing #folktaleweek again next November too, and I am already search for some of my favorite folktales from around the world.

As for you, what were you the most proud of last year? What are you looking forward to doing the most in 2019?

Highgate Cemetery Portraits

In August, I was lucky enough to visit the incredible Highgate Cemetery during the London Letterheads Conference. I was so inspired by my walk around the the gorgeous graveyard, I decided to dedicate my next gallery show to it. It is truly a dream world for any Victorian Goth lover.

To me, Highgate is kind of a living city to the dead. Although, it is still a working cemetery, I loved exploring the darkest of the lost paths. Highgate was built in the 19th century as one of the London Cemeteries that were on the outskirts of town. It housed the bodies of people could no longer be buried within the churches of London. As time wore on, it now has wild vines wrapping around the graves, showcasing some, while burying others, it is filled with birds and animals as well as a spooky legend or two. I loved it.

There is something that is so wonderful about visiting old graveyards that seems to be missing these days. Victorians were surrounded by so much death everyday, that they sort of embraced death, now we seem to be are more afraid of it.

Here are some of my illustrations (and a few photos I took) inspired by my trip to this legendary cemetery in London.

I thought these portraits would be a perfect countdown to Halloween.

I hope you like them!

My October gallery wall at City Art Gallery in San Francisco

Graves rearranged by time at Highgate Cemetery.

Debra Styer, Georgina in the Sun, 2018

Debra Styer, A Sacred Magpie, 2018

In a Disused Graveyard

“The living come with grassy tread
To read the gravestones on the hill;
The graveyard draws the living still,
But never anymore the dead.
The verses in it say and say:
”The ones who living come today
To read the stones and go away
Tomorrow dead will come to stay.”
So sure of death the marbles rhyme,
Yet can’t help marking all the time
How no one dead will seem to come.
A Disused Graveyard

What is it men are shrinking from?
It would be easy to be clever
And tell the stones: Men hate to die
And have stopped dying now forever.
I think they would believe the lie.

Robert Frost”

My favorite Angel monument at Highgate

Debra Styer, Mourning Flowers, 2018 (in progress)

Circle of Baby Angels, Highgate Cemetery 2018

Debra Styer, Caught in the Web, 2018

Sacred, Highgate Cemetry 2018

Debra Styer, Watching from Above, 2018

Two Graves Bound at Highgate Cemetery

Debra Styer, The Woman in White, 2018

If you want to see these paintings in person, they are up in the Gallery until October 28th.

City Art Gallery

828 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA

http://www.cityartgallery.org/

Prints from the show will be available mid-November in my shop!

I hope you enjoyed the show!

All images and Illustrations ©DebraStyer

New in the Shop! Goth Moth Illustrated Portraits

I love Moths, the fuzzier the better. I have always wanted to catch a giant one in real life but nothing so far. I might as well illustrate my favorite Goth Moths!

When painting these wonderful creatures, I imagined them flying through homes taking little breaks on walls in different historical times. Just sitting there long enough to get noticed.

I created a small series (which I will be adding to) of beautiful illustrated moths for the June group show at City Art Gallery in San Francisco. Now, I am happy to announce you can buy the prints here in my shop!

Cecropia Moth

First off is the Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)! He is the one of the largest silk moths. Don't you love his red spots? Here he is in a sea of black....

Debra Styer, Cecropia Noir, 2018

Cecropia Noir print available here.

Luna Moth

My Second moth is the Luna Moth (or Actias luna). I think the Luna Moth is the most glamorous of all moths with it lovely green wings. Although, pretty their lives are kind of sad. After emerging from their cocoons, the only live about one week and only to mate. They are also born without mouths. What a strange little beast. Here I have him settled in on lovely art deco wallpaper in the 1920's.

Debra Styer, Deco Luna, 2018

Deco Luna art print available here.

Deaths-Head Hawkmoth

Lastly, is the creepiest of all moths the Deaths Head Hawkmoth (Acherontia )! I love the little skull design on his back. Besides the amazing gothness of these moth, they are rather strange creature. They actually emit a loud chirp when irritated. I wonder what that would sound like?

I imagine this guy visiting a sweet family home in the 19th Century.

Debra Styer, A Victorian Deaths Head, 2018

A Victorian Deaths Head Art print available here.

Do you have a favorite moth you would like me to paint next? Write it in the comments.