Spirit Collection
Personal Journey of Self Growth and Self Definition
Voyeur
(1989), Charcoal, 30” x 20”
Initially, I designed the composition to illustrate the differences in temperament between my twin sister and myself, combined with imagery from a dream. (I am more calm and orderly in my life, and she is more chaotic.) The boat represents my observer mother watching the “dance/interaction” between my sister and I (or my two outstanding temperaments). The Weber grill represents my father whose presence was always felt. Today, I look at this piece and wonder if I was really trying to illustrate my own mercurial temperament.
©1989 Debra Sloan Gerard
To Become Different
(2024), Acrylic on Gallery-wrapped Panel, 24”x 18”x 1.5”
Being one of “The Twins” growing up was hard, no separation from my sister in other people’s perceptions – even to this day by childhood classmates, and unfortunately, some relatives. This painting is about the moment in my younger life, when I began to become my own person – To Become Different – than my twin sister. I stopped wearing identical clothes, wearing my hair exactly the same as my sister, hanging out with the same girls as my sister, etc. to become more independent to let my personality shine. The spines represent my sister and myself, while the Weber grill represents my father who was ominously always present and occasionally on fire, and the boat represents my mother who was always watching from a distance. The moon is reminiscent of the full moon that shone early the morning of my mother’s death.
It’s important To Become Different and independent from your siblings whether you are a twin or not.
©2024 Debra Sloan Gerard
Diane’s World
(1989), Charcoal, 30” x 20”
The spine figure was drawn to represent my twin sister, Diane (the wild one) illustrating a critical decision point in her life, where she determines which type of life she wants to live – one that is respectable, calm, organized, or one that is chaotic, seedy, rife with trouble - circus-like.
©1989 Debra Sloan Gerard
Homage
(1990), Charcoal, 16” x 20”
The spine figures represent my family members. The two largest/closest spines represent my twin sister and my mother, while the fallen spine down farther on the path represents my brother. All are traveling to pay Homage to the figure at the top of the pyramid, my father, the smallest spine. The figure in the boat is me, heading towards unknown impending chaos (the tornado).
©1990 Debra Sloan Gerard
The Greatest Adventure
(1998), Acrylics, 18” x 24”
Heidi (my first, beloved dog) is on life’s Greatest Adventure – life’s final transition or journey. The Sparrow is a harbinger of her soul, and we see the clock showing the hour when the veil between this life and the afterlife is at it’s thinnest. A wasp is honoring the dog’s ferocity, having been one of the few the dog has spared. A jeweled egg sits at the bow of the boat, along with a smoldering candle on a pole inside the boat, symbolizing the soul. The land and trees are a part of Cave Point Park in Door County, WI where she and I had wonderful wanderings.
©1998 Debra Sloan Gerard
Metamorphosis
(1999), Colored Pencil, 30” x 20”
This piece is about the transition to wife and new motherhood. It is loosely designed on the Greek story of Narcissus. The reflection is a representation of who I was, while the female figure (me) is a representation of who I am becoming (wife and new mother). The wolf represents my essence, protected under the watch of the female sculpture. (I sometimes use the wolf as a personal icon.) This sculpture is one of the figures from the Greek Porch of the Six Maidens, where the most sacred relic of Athens was housed, the Palladium, an olive wood effigy of the Goddess Pallas Athena, said not to have been made by human hand, but to have miraculously fallen from heaven. The base of the sculpture reads, “Metamorphosis” in Greek script.
©1999 Debra Sloan Gerard
In Search of Self
(1999), Colored Pencil, 20” x 30”
A tunnel of trees with industrial lights running through the branches comes from a repetitive dream I was having. I am that little girl at the age of 10 years old. This artwork represents me in search of my life’s purpose while I am trying to redefine myself, as I am becoming a mother and settling into my new marriage and defining my role as wife. The “light” at the end of the tunnel could be the “answer” to the search for self.
Original and Limited Edition Prints available for purchase
©1999 Debra Sloan Gerard