Deborah Service

Artist Statement:

The Ties that Bind Series:

I work from old family photographs, poorly lit, badly composed and ever present. These banal images that chronicle our common experiences inspire me the most.

I am interested in exploring the psychological significance of body language; in observing the subtle interactions between family members and friends. Impromptu snap-shots reveal a great deal about the relationships between and among the subjects pictured.

I purposefully do not include the details of individual faces; rather, I emphasize body language to convey the dynamics of interactions and personalities.  Posed in archetypal, almost theatrical settings, these figures become portraits from our collective memories, and we recognize ourselves in them. My work requires the viewer to look into the past while maintaining an eye in the present.

Deborah Stenberg-Service is a painter living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area.  A native Californian with a background in dance, her work explores body language and interpersonal dynamics captured in old family snap shots.  Her work seeks to establish a paradox between nostalgia and contemporary relevance and allows the viewer to create their own narrative. Her work has been exhibited locally and nationally and has been commissioned for several private collections.