Deborah Walmer (pronounced deb-OR-ah) is a painter and mixed media artist based in the DC area. Her bold, organic cubist style fuses vibrant oil paints, African wax fabrics, and layered textures that invite the viewer into rhythmic abstraction. She manipulates color and shape with a sense of movement and meaning—melding oil paint, oil stick, acrylic, fabric, paper, and found objects into a unified, emotive language.
Deborah draws inspiration from artists across time and movement: the structural genius of Picasso and Braque, the passion of Kahlo, and the radical vision of Sonia Delaunay, Faith Ringgold, Hilma af Klint, Louise Bourgeois, and other trailblazing women of cubism and abstraction. She is especially influenced by women who pioneered textile-based art and those who disrupted the boundaries between craft and fine art—often on the margins of art history but central to Deborah’s own creative ethos.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and Graphic Design from Mount Vernon College (now part of George Washington University) and currently lives in Annapolis with her partner and his daughter.
Deborah has exhibited work throughout the DMV area, both physically and virtually, and is a member of the Montgomery Artists Association. She has held leadership roles in the Women’s Caucus for Art of Greater Washington, DC, and served as a national board director for the Women’s Caucus for Art.
About the Artist
Meet the Deborah
An anti-racist and advocate for social justice, Deborah’s art often explores themes of identity, emotional resilience, and the stories woven through generational trauma and healing. When she’s not in the studio, she’s trail running, cooking, exploring museums, or sewing one-of-a-kind creations from her growing collection of fabrics.
Photo: Aaron Davis
Artistic Vision
My art is rooted in storytelling—layered, textured, and unapologetically vibrant. I work with bold colors, intricate patterns, and especially African wax prints, which hold deep personal and cultural meaning. These fabrics are more than decorative elements; they carry memory, identity, and a sense of comfort. They speak to heritage, to community, and to the beauty of being seen.
Through my work, I explore themes of social justice and mental health, using visual language to express what is often left unspoken. The patterns I choose are intentional—they represent both struggle and celebration, resilience and rest. They wrap around forms like armor and embrace, offering protection and connection all at once.
Emotional expression is central to everything I create. Art allows me to translate inner worlds—grief, joy, anxiety, hope—into something tactile and shared. It becomes a space where healing begins and where others are invited to reflect on their emotional landscapes.
I aim to create work that is not just seen but felt. It invites reflection, sparks conversation, and celebrates the full, complex spectrum of human being—rooted in culture, shaped by justice, and moved by the power of feeling.
