Deborah Lanino

Artist Statement

I remember drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon and was fortunate that my family encouraged my love of the arts. My first sentence was “I See.” When I was a college junior at Pratt, studying abroad in Florence, Italy, I traveled north on a train, and saw the churches, museums and an exhibition in Vercelli, commemorating 400 years since the death of Renaissance painter Bernardino Lanino (1512-1583). I learned about the prolific Lanino Workshop near Milan and of direct ancestral connections. In my work, I use Renaissance techniques such as chiaroscuro (lights and darks), sfumato (blurring edges) pentimento (painting over), delicate layers of glazes and impasto. Some of my works have symbolic and metaphorical elements and other works, like the Greek Cross, are abstract, yet contain meditative and transcendent tones through light, color and design. The natural beauty of the west coast influences my palette. Themes from scripture can be found in my work, the goal of which is to uplift and bring positivity to the viewer.