Deborah Petch

Deborah Petch studied locally at Brighton University and University of Chichester. Her masters degree culminated in a series of large scale abstract paintings which all evolved from drawing and printmaking processes. Deborah is primarily concerned with the exploration of being in the world which she expresses through her artwork. She enjoys working outdoors on ancient sites where the weather, sense of place and nuances of the past all influence her work. Deborah has worked with Arts Council England, Pallant House Gallery and University of Chichester. She has exhibited throughout the UK.

Deborah is also teaching short courses at the West Dean London Bloomsbury campus. (Please see the link in the Short Courses toolbar on the website)

Describe your approach to teaching:

My courses are about encouraging students to develop ways to work experimentally and intuitively using different materials and processes. My aim is to help students evolve to achieve their own visual language through experimentation and playfulness. I teach drawing, painting and printmaking.

What inspires your own work?

My own work begins with drawing and research. It starts small and increases in size as it becomes an expression of my own physicality. I explore my materials thoroughly, collecting tools and objects to experiment with. Visiting galleries and examining works by other contemporary artists who appeal to my own sensibilities is vital to my own development. My present works are called 'Inklings' and are an expression of my journeying using the fluidity of ink as a drawing medium.

Deborah's paintings, 'Entangled in the mist’ and ‘The trodden path’, have been selected to be included in the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition at the Mall Gallery, London in April 2021.