Debra Baker is a watercolor artist living and working on Long Island, New York.  Inspired at an early age by the works of her maternal grandfather,  John Doremus, a trained portrait artist, sculptor and wood carver, she felt the draw of artistic creativity that runs deep in her family.  Although Debra had never met her grandfather, she was influenced by the family collection of his oil paintings, pastels, sculptures and hand carved furniture.  A particular piece that captured her imagination was a large painting of two sailboats racing on Long Islands Great South Bay.  For years this piece was hung over the mantel in her aunts’ home in Westhampton Beach, L.I.  The pride of her grandfather’s talent inspired her to study art and to produce works of her own.  

As a child, she spent many hours drawing animals and cartoons.  By high school she was working with watercolor, ceramics and pencil drawings.  When Debra began exploring art as a teen, her mother began to produce still life oil paintings, confirming the inherited talent which had first inspired her.  By the early 2000’s Debra began working in acrylics, producing large abstracts which reflected her desire to create beauty through her imagination. 

Back to her early roots of watercolor paintings, Debra has returned to the realistic depiction of her subject matter, capturing the natural beauty of her surroundings and expressing herself in the medium which started her journey. 

The large painting that once hung over the mantel in her aunts’ house, now proudly hangs in Debra’s studio.  It continues to motivate and inspire her.