Biography

Award winning miniaturist

Debby has been painting professionally since the late seventies and after a long and varied career now specialises in miniature painting on vellum, produced since 1870 at William Cowley's riverside works in Newport Pagnell where she was born.

Debby's studio is at her home in nearby Great Linford where she paints in gouache with very fine sable brushes and the benefit of short sight.

The highly detailed colourful miniatures mostly measure just two inches square and generally feature British birds and mammals, together with intricate borders, quotes and sayings from literature or folklore, with Debby often returning to Shakespeare, Keats or John Clare for inspiration.

When not painting, Debby enjoys rummaging around antique and bric a brac markets looking for old illustrated books or items from the Biba store of the 1970's to add to her collection, reading murder mysteries, tending the garden and taking long walks through the woods, along the canal and in the countryside all very close to her home.

Influences include the illustrators Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, stained glass, church architecture and decoration and all things Arts and Crafts.

Family and friends are a great source of joy and inspiration, especially the grandchildren, for whom she wrote a 50,000 word story during lockdown 2020.

Debby is delighted she has retained the imagination and ability to dream from childhood and frequently wonders what she will do when she grows up.


Awards and achievements

1999 - Elected Member of the Society of Women Artists (SWA)

2000 - The Alexander Gallery Award for 'The Most Outstanding Painting In The Exhibition'  - SWA  Annual Exhibition
2001 - Elected Associate Member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers. (ARMS)
2003 - The HRH Princess Michael of Kent Award for 'The Most Outstanding Watercolour' - SWA  Annual Exhibition
2004 - Elected full Member of the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers (RMS)
2005 - Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Masters Award for a set of six miniatures at The Million Brushstrokes Exhibition
2007 - RMS Group Award for for the best set of miniatures at their annual exhibition
           Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Certificate of Excellence at their annual exhibition, followed by two further Masters Awards
           in subsequent years
2011 - Elected Member of the Hilliard Society of Miniaturists (HS), selling all six of her entries at their annual exhibition
2014 - Llewellyn Alexander Gallery Award for an Outstanding Miniature - 'A Charm of Finches' - at their annual exhibition
           The Caron Keating Memorial Award for a group of four paintings at the SWA Annual Exhibition
2015 - The Sue Brown Memorial Award for Best in Show at the Hilliard Society annual exhibition
2016 - The Anita Emmerich Presentation Award of a gold plated solid silver magnifying glass for the miniature painting, 'When 
            Candels Be Out' at the RMS Annual Exhibition
2018 - Best Watercolour/Opaque at the Sea Side Art Gallery, Nags Head, NC, USA at the 27th International Miniature Art Show
2019 - Accepted as a Member of the Society of Limners
           The Presidents Special Commendation for 'So the Summer Went' at the RMS Annual exhibition
2020 - Special Mention for a miniature if the 'Birds' category of the Miniature Arts Society of Florida International Miniature 
           Exhibition

2021 - Best Watercolour/Gouache  Award at the 30th International Miniature Art Show at the Seaside Art Gallery, Nags Head, North Carolina, USA. 

2021 - The Gladys Hayton Animal and Wildlife Award for a miniature on vellum at the Hilliard Society Of Miniaturists annual exhibition

2022 - Best New Artist at The Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, USA
2023 - First Place in Opaque Watercolour Award, Miniature Art Society of Florida, USA


Debby also shows work at the Snow Goose Gallery in Bethlehem, PA, USA, which is by invitation only, and has a selection of miniatures always on sale at the Sea Side Art Gallery, Nags Head, North Carolina, USA