About The Artist

"Painting is an evolution...always

changing

and

refining my craft is very

important to me

artist.

The true artist

never retires from

painting, it

is as

much

part of them as their

smile.

I approach

work with

an interest in

bringing life to

each

piece.

It is a

discipline,

with

grace

and

forethought that

each

composition is

designed. The

classical

tradition

of fine

art

portraiture requires

intense studying

and

training,

but the journey

always

enjoyable. To

paint the

portrait of an

individual

one must first

understand

the

personality or the

soul, and

aspire to

create

work

art worthy of

that

person. It is an

honor

and a

privilege

have the

responsibility to

create

the

image

which

will

be a

lasting tribute to

their

legacy.

is true

that

portraiture is one of the

finest forms

art. The

painter allows time

to stop

for one

brief

moment...

and

yet the

image remains

forever."--Kepes

Deborah Ankrom Kepes

Biography
A native of West Virginia, Deborah Ankrom Kepes is a Contemporary Realist trained in the classical traditions of painting and specializing in
portraiture. She studied at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, located in Pittsburgh, PA for five years under the direction of acclaimed painter-
James Douglas Adams, Core Director of the Fine Arts Department, University of Washington in St. Louis, MO.    Deborah's work has been
selected for exhibition through many juried selection competitions and was an award recipient in the Portrait Society of Atlanta's 2002 exhibition
juried by Gordon Wetmore, Co-Chairmen of The Portrait Society of America. Her work is held in private and corporate collections
throughout the United States.

For many years Deborah has volunteered her services to The Portrait Society of Atlanta* and The Portrait Society of America**in several
positions.   Her service in both organizations has been an enriching creative process bringing with it a continual education in the techniques
and practices of fine art portraiture. She is currently one of two Georgia Goodwill Ambassadors serving the membership of The Portrait Society
of America. Deborah was recently honored as one of four recipients of the 2007 Art Marketing Consultation Scholarships presented by the
Cecilia Beaux Forum created to strengthen the role of women artists by providing programs and resources to enhance the quality, as well as,
the publics knowledge and appreciation of their work.
Both of these organizations are non-profit and promote the education of fine art portraiture.

Deborah instructs painting privately and through workshop opportunities throughout the country. She began her teaching experience in 1996,
at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, located in Pittsburgh, PA. Through the years she has instructed many areas of study, some of which are
Mural Design & Application, Perspective Drawing, Still Life, Landscape, Portraiture and Figurative Painting. At her home studio, classes
continue throughout the year, three sessions a week. The classes are created to train the student in strong drawing skills by studying from the
masters, receiving a comprehensive color theory class and eventually studying from life. Workshop opportunities have been offered in
Georgia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.   Demonstrations are scheduled several times a year at public and private venues nationally.

Painting has always been a passion in her life, however her love of friends and family nourishes her soul.   She enjoys cooking and reading
with a particular interest in art history.   Deborah and her husband, Mark have raised two sons and currently live in the Metro Atlanta area.

*The Portrait Society of Atlanta, Oldest Portrait Society in America founded in 1979
www.portraitsocietyofatlanta.org

**The Portrait Society of America, International Organization founded in 1998 with over 3,000 members worldwide.   www.portraitsociety.org

You can reach
Deborah
at

Cobble Creek Studios
Grayson, GA
30017

Telephone

770-982-7472
770-597-4053

Email:
info@deborahkepes.com