Deborah Eve Alastra
Portland, Oregon 2008
recent write up
recent review
I
paint because I need to...perhaps to express an emotional response
to the beauty I see all around...without painting, the world for me
would be a difficult place. For the last 28 years, in between having
and raising two wonderful children, I have kept my palette wet...dabbling
whenever possible. Now my children are older and I'm finding more
time again to devote to my passion.
EDUCATION
Bellas Artes, Guanajuato, Mexico 1977-1980
General art studies; painting and drawing. Part of the Bellas Artes,
Mexico City.
UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 1980-1983
BA in Fine Arts, Painting and Printmaking.
Cabrillo College, Aptos, CA 1998-2000
Certificate of Proficiency in Digital Media, computer graphics for print
& the web.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005-06
Harmonic Inc. Company, Commons Room, Sunnyvale, CA. Floral
Watercolor Giclee Print Series, 'Floral Interiors'; Carol Dabb Corporate
Art Consultants Inc., Los Altos, CA.
1999 Bargetto Winery, Soquel, CA. watercolors, ‘Reflections’,
Liz Freidman, curator.
1995 Santa Cruz Art Center, Santa Cruz, CA. watercolors
and oils, Views of Davenport. Beth Regardz, curator.
1989 De Silva Gallery, San Jose, CA. watercolors and
oils. ‘Mexico Memories’.
Ricardo de Silva, curator.
1988 Whole Earth, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. Paintings
and Diaramas. Tom Brownbridge, curator.
1986 Louden Nelson Community Center, Santa Cruz, CA.
Recent Works, watercolors and oils. Curators, City of Santa Cruz, Art
Committee.
1986 Santa Cruz Art Center, Santa Cruz, CA. Views of
the North Coast in watercolors and oil, Beth Regardz, curator.
1985 Old Town Art Center, Los Gatos, CA. watercolors
and oils, Works by Deborah Levin.
1984 Santa Cruz Art Center, Santa Cruz, CA. Diaramas,
Joseph Schultz, curator.
1983 Del Mar Gallery, Del Mar, CA. Relief Prints, Jack
and Ur Sharpe curators.
1979-1981 Kipp Collection Showroom, Pacific Design Center,
Los Angeles, CA. Exhibition of four photo silkscreened Textile Designs
for upholstery and drapery. Designer’s showroom, Jay Bowyer curator.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2005 Invitation / Acceptance: The 51st International
Art Exhibition, organized by the Fondazione la Biennale di Venezia and
directed by María de Corral and by Rosa Martínez.
2003/2004 Santa Cruz Digital Arts Exhibits, Daryl Wise.
Watercolors and Oils digitalized and edited using Photoshop. Group exhibitions.
1986-1988 Santa Cruz Open Studios. Cultural Council
of Santa Cruz. Paintings and Prints. Group exhibit from home studios.
1984 Santa Cruz Art League, Dia de los Muertos Group
Art Exhibit. Painting and Diarama submissions.
ARTS RELATED EMPLOYMENT
2008-present:
Children's Book Illustrator, Pioneer Publishing Company,
Amherst Mass.
2005-present:
Artist for Running Fence Recycled project; www.runningfence.com,
Dianne Smith
1985-1996:
Arts Program Director for the Davenport Resource Center,
Davenport, CA. Founded, administered, and taught art for the North Coast
Children’s Art Program of Santa Cruz County, at the Davenport
Resource Center, a project of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz
County. Funded in part by Program Grants from the Cultural Council of
Santa Cruz County. The program provided free after school and summer
art programs for low income / at risk children and teens of the Santa
Cruz North Coast area, mainly from Spanish speaking farmworker families.
The program included field trips to nearby galleries and arts events,
guest artists, and exhibits of the students’ art work.
1983-1985:
Art Instructor, Monterey County Office of Education
‘Yo Puedo’ Program. Taught art classes to migrant teenagers
from Pajarro Valley; instruction at UC Santa Cruz.
1984-1985:
Art Instructor, Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County’s
Gifted and Talented Program. Instructed art lessons for targeted gifted
art students, from home studio.
AWARDS / COMMISSIONS / PUBLICATIONS
2005 CAL-Research, Richmond CA; commission for 2005
Poster.
Painting of farmworkers titled ‘Healthcare for All’. Edition
of 2,000 to be printed in October 2005. Supports CAL-Research studies
and grants for California social service non-profits; Richmond, CA.
May 2005 Progressive Greetings ArtSource, United Kingdom’s
International Trade Magazine for the Greeting Card Industry. Featured
with photo and two paintings. London, England U.K.
2005 Art Business News, Originals, feature publication with
photos of newest floral watercolor series, contact information. Susanne
Casgar, Editorial Director, Art Business News, Pfingsten Publishing,
L.L.C., Cleveland, Ohio.
2005 Rasco Products LTD, BookMarker Plates; four designs
in print utilizing four paintings for the bookmark/bookplate industry.
(to be published and marketed by 2006 in bookstore chains throughout
the US and Europe). Steven Schultz, Rasco Products LTD, Fresno &
New York.
2004 BriteVision Media, Java Arts Program. Coffee Sleeve
Designs for print publication of two images for San Francisco CA.
INSTITUTIONAL
COLLECTIONS
University of California at Santa Cruz Slide Archives,
‘Visions of the North Coast’, Deborah (Levin) Eve Alastra.
McHenry Library, UCSC. (1988).
