Born on the last possible day of 1963, Debra Deutsch Oliver grew up believing that dance was everything—a way to express herself, a way to meet people and experience the world around her. This early infatuation with the drama of movement led to fantasies of acting, choreographing and directing for the silver screen.

But as much as she loved the medium of show business, she didn't feel drawn to express herself that way. Instead, she pursued an education in the fine arts, earning her BFA in Studio Art from The University of Texas at Austin and her art education certification from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago.

Even as she spent the next 20 years teaching art in the Chicago Public School system, she never considered her own paintings as powerful or important until she retired from teaching in 2019. It was only then that she realized that she had spent the last couple of decades teaching something that she had barely explored for her own satisfaction and artistic expression.

To those who knew her, it was no surprise that when she finally began expressing herself on canvas, her paintings usually revolved around the magic of movement. She was drawn to capture her subjects in ecstatic motion, starting with herself dancing on the kitchen counter inside her own house.

After being featured in her own shows in Chicago, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz, Debra discovered San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and decided to make it her home in 2023. Once here, her creative pace took off as happens with so many artists, writers, musicians and other creatives once they tap into the energy of this magical town.

Her new show, Joy In Motion, strives to capture local residents moving, dancing, twisting and turning in their indigenous settings like saloons, public squares, coffee bars, and rooftop laundry lines as well as the unstaged but picturesque streets which reflect the vibrant light and quality of life of San Miguel. Since Debra's technique involves shooting video of her subjects and then painstakingly reviewing each frame until she finds just the right 30th of a second to portray with acrylics on canvas, in many ways she is finally becoming the producer/director and choreographer she once imagined she would be.

Joy in Motion - opening
Debra Deutsch Oliver
Gallery Blue Moon
Fri, Oct. 4, 5-8
S. Dickinson 7

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