She started her career in haute couture, went on to swap fabric for fondant and conquered the world of sugar artists and is ever evolving.
She is a self-confessed advocate for over the top, larger than life installations and switches between art forms frequently.
During Covid, Debbie, like most people, was looking for a way to fill her time and took up painting, she had not painted since she was a teenager, but she discovered she had a flair for it.
She was in lockdown in her Doncaster home, which is where she began painting celebrity portraits, painting in oil specifically and barely a brush stroke in sight.
Her latest collection was revealed this week in Marbella at the Kempinski Bahia, the unique title of her debut is “Everyone Has Baggage”.
The title was derived from something that happened by chance.
In the mist of her painting revelation, she ran out of canvas and couldn’t get a delivery out in the remote area she lives quick enough during Covid, so she looked for alternative options.
She found paper bags which she upcycled, and they became her canvas, she began to paint celebrity portraits, just at random at first until she had finished a series and she released that all these icons had something in common.
They were all celebrities that have had open battles with mental wellbeing, learning disabilities or that have endured true hardships in their lives.
That’s when the title became clear to Debbie and the plan for her first showcase began to evolve.
She knew that charity had to play a big part because mental health issues really came to light during the pandemic and that was a key part of her planning.
For a start the portrait range painted on bags are being donated to the celebrities or the celebrity estates that featured in the range these include Jane Fonda, Kylie Jenner, Alexander McQueen, Princess Diana and Nicky Minaj to name a few.
A number of these celebrities have already appointed a charity for them to be auctioned off, in support of the mental wellbeing charity of their choice.
On a literal level, the art showcase acknowledged that we do all have baggage, some carry more than others.
Some choose never to unpack that baggage; others address this baggage over a period.
The sculptures and the canvas paintings address this matter in an ironic sense, bringing a positive take to mental wellness, inner strength, and our ability to overcome situations.
Debbie explained why many of the sculptures were based on the Hermes Birkin bag: “Not just because it’s the most exclusive bag in the world but it’s the most notoriously difficult bag to open and close, perfect reference for keeping that baggage firmly closed.”
Each sculpture referenced a different state of mind.
A giant brick bag with the silhouette of a woman trying to blow a hole through the bag using a bazooka, another features an LV hairdryer directed at a melting bag, dubbed “Melting Point”
Debbie said: “The exhibition also includes some painted canvases also for charity including a mural of a nurse ‘The year of the nurse’ featuring a nurse stood in front of an angel mural.
“The nurse is a real health care worker for the NHS, who worked through the pandemic.
"She worked at Sheffield for a while and now is based in Manchester still with the NHS.
“Referencing that life isn’t a fairy tale but the lady in the picture portrays a sense of peace with that. We can’t control everything, and lockdown taught us that.”
In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Liam Hoden, editor.
