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The Golden Place
Artist: Deborah Mann
Saskatoon artist Deborah Mann showed an interest in art and music at an early age. Encouraged by parents who valued and supported fine arts, she received formal art lessons in oils from age ten. Art skills were developed in many media as she attended John Lake School and Aden Bowman Collegiate. Following high school, she completed a course in interior design, then attended the University of Saskatchewan.
At the U.of S., Deborah majored in visual art, with studio classes in painting and photography. Following the completion of a B.A. in Art and a B.Ed. (A. D.), she has taught full time in Saskatoon Public Schools. Since 1982, she has balanced full time teaching, a busy family life, and artistic pursuits. In 2000, Deborah completed a M.Ed. Degree in Curriculum Studies, researching relationships between visual and verbal literacy. Graduate studies expanded her interest in how meanings are built and communicated through a range of expressive forms.
Since the 1980’s, Deborah has staged several one-person shows, and supports several local charities with her art. Recent work focuses upon first hand experiences, including birch clumps at Brightwater, meandering paths in the Meewasin Valley, and the golden glow of a Saskatchewan sunrise. While acrylic painting is a first love, Deborah enjoys watercolours, pastels, and watercolour pencils, and a variety of drawing media. Her work in Saskatoon public schools and the community has led to the completion of many painted full-scale backdrops and props for musical and drama productions.
While Deborah believes she must paint what she knows, her work has been described by viewers as “a spiritual relationship to sacred places.” She has published several limited edition prints, including Bessborough: A March Morning, and Meewasin: The Path Turns. Deborah’s current interests, in addition to developing a new series of paintings, include developing her home gallery and teaching art lessons in her home. She hopes to combine her passion for painting with travel and further academic study in the future.
