Deb Massey

Tell something about your family, where you grew up, went to school, etc.

I grew up in Geneva, NY to a family of scientists. We spent summers in a cabin on Salmon Lake, Maine. Nature was very important to me and still is, especially the lake and the activities around our cabin. Later in life I traveled extensively, living in Seattle, Germany, and Japan.

What were your early childhood influences regarding art - family, teachers, etc.?

I have a strong memory of doing an oil painting when I was about ten years old, using my grandmother’s tubes in her wooden art box. It was magic to me. In High School I took private art classes after school and did figure drawings in the converted stables at Hobart and Willaim Smith college. (They kindly overlooked that I was not enrolled.)

Did you go to college?  Where?  Major?  Any mentors?

I attended Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, majoring in chemistry, a field that I was encouraged to pursue but was never particularly good at. For most of my adult life, I put away my brushes. Then, about eight years ago, after an almost-fatal car accident I picked them up again and have never looked back.  Jane Webb, from Vancouver, Canada, mentored me in color theory and practice.  The classes I have taken with Pat Rini Rohrer, Cindy Harris, and Cheryl Van Denburg for oils and Nancy Lane for watercolors have been transformative.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

Definitely the impressionists, the simpler paintings by John Marin, and the landscapes by John Singer Sargent.

What type of art do you create?  Has your style changed over time?

I paint in watercolors and oils. My paintings are spontaneous and loose, with nuanced colors. They are becoming more courageously simple and abstract over time.

What inspires you to create art?  Are there real life situations that inspire you?Landscapes, figures, abstractions, anything with a striking composition of values or combination of colors, I am gob-struck and need to express what it means to me in two dimensions.

What do you want to express through your art? Do you have certain themes that you pursue?

A feeling, it always starts with a feeling, which can later materialize as an idea that I didn’t know I was thinking.

What is your favorite artist tool?  

Hmm. Oddly, I’d say my camera. I use it to compose my inspirations.

How important are titles to your art?Very important, after the work is created. Usually these pop up naturally.

What are the hardest and best parts of creating art?

For me, the hardest is revision. My best paintings are done quickly, joyfully, and then left alone. I struggle with portraits which take keen observation and detailed work.

Do you listen to music or podcasts when you create?  What type and is it inspiring?

Not at home but I enjoy the music played at the classes I take, which sometimes gets me dancing while I paint, which enhances the joy..

Where can people go to see your art?  Do you have a website or Facebook page for your work?

I often exhibit at OCAC, Gallery 32, Main Street Arts, and the Country Lawyer Gallery in the Finger Lakes and at River Arts in Maine. I will have a solo exhibit on the third floor of the Wood Library in January and February of 2026.

Do you accept commissions?

Yes, I do.

Do you have a piece of artwork that you’re most proud of? Why? 

An oil painting of myself rowing a shell on Salmon Lake because

it expresses my feeling of freedom and motion and the beauty of nature.

Professionally, what’s your goal?

To keep experimenting, pushing myself, growing in my practice. Mainly to be joyful and simple. I wish to sell just enough paintings that will cover my expenses.

Do you have a dream project that you’d like to create?

I have a very large, ornate frame that I would like to fill with a floral extravaganza when I am ready