Q&A: Questions & Artists – Debra Joy Groesser

“Early Morning, Eagle Harbor”

I first watched Debra Joy Groesser paint several years ago in the annual Peninsula School of Art’s Door County Plein Air Festival (Ms. Groesser has been an invited artist in this event for multiple years). Standing back in the viewing crowd, I watched Debra begin her painting with quiet confidence that continued as the work progressed.

I didn’t stay until she finished but left with the impression that this artist knew what she was doing. I would describe this artist’s work as “contemporary realism” done with confident brushstrokes and a command of color and values.

Randy Rasmussen (RR): The biography on your website describes you as a “Nebraska artist.” Were you born and raised in Nebraska?

Debra Joy Groesser (DJG): I have lived in Nebraska since I was 10 years old, so even though I wasn’t born here, I’ve lived here most of my life. My father was in the Air Force, so that is how we ended up in Nebraska, when he was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base.

“Ephraim Serenity”

RR: Did you know at a young age you would have a career as an artist?

DJG: Yes. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have a pencil or a crayon in my hand. My fist “public showing” of my art was on the Romper Room TV show when I was three years old. I drew all the time growing up and began painting at age 12, first in acrylics and then in oils at age 14.

RR: As you grew up, who gave you the most encouragement in your art?

DJG: My parents, but also a good friend of mine from my fifth grade class. She and I would draw whenever we were together, setting up objects in still life arrangements. My high school art teachers and college professors were also very encouraging.

RR: What was you first medium and when did you really start painting with oils?

“The Promise”

DJG: Early, and I worked with pencil and chalk. At age 12 I won a coloring contest sponsored by our local newspaper and a paint store. I took the prize money and bought a set of acrylics. At age 14 my parents bought me my first set of oils – I actually still have the wooden box from that set. At age 14 I never looked back and they were and are my absolute favorite medium.

RR: I know you have studied with various well-known instructors. Is there one artist that you think has been your primary influence?

DJG: I would have to say Kevin Macpherson. He challenged me using a limited palette and has always been extremely encouraging and kind. He has been a wonderful mentor and friend.

RR: You have been invited to be an artist in the Door County Plein Air Festival multiple times. Do you have one place you especially enjoy painting in Door County?

DJG: I really love painting in Ephraim, especially the view from the public beach. I was able to come back to Door County in October this year and paint that scene in the fall colors. It is so beautiful with the church steeples and the light hitting the other buildings in the morning. I paint that view every time I come to Door County. It’s never the same twice.

“Where Buffalo Roam”

RR: I watched you paint in the Plein Air event a few years ago. You seemed to be at peace with yourself. No anxiety, just putting paint down on the canvas with sure, confident strokes. Do you always paint this way?

DJG: I’m glad it looks that way on the outside! Actually once I find a scene that really inspires me, I get into the “zone” as I call it. It really is an almost out-of-body experience, almost as though I am watching the painting happen. It is a pretty spiritual thing for me. In a plein air event where there is the added pressure of having to produce a certain number of pieces in a short amount of time, there is definitely a bit more anxiety when I paint but for the most part I am pretty calm. I just try to get the right colors, shapes and values from the start. Maybe what you see is just my concentration and the love I have for what I do. I feel blessed every day that I get to do this for a living.

RR: What is your current palette and how much influence has Mr. Macpherson’s limited palette had on your work?

DJG: For my plein air work I used to work strictly as Kevin taught me in the beginning. The colors were ultramarine blue, cadmium red light, cadmium yellow light, alizarin crimson and titanium white. I added cobalt blue and cadmium yellow deep to include a warm and cool of each of the primaries. Using a limited palette has helped me tremendously in my work. A limited palette results in a more harmonious painting. It also forces one to think more about color relationships. Most recently I have been experimenting with some other colors like Gamblin’s asphaltum, a raw sienna, warm white and several warm and cool grays.

RR: What is the greatest thing about achieving such success as an artist?

DJG: I just feel blessed every day I get up to do this for a living. I think the best part is being able to share this gift with people, hopefully inspiring them through my paintings and through teaching. It is so exciting to see my students fall in love with painting outdoors and to watch their excitement as they have those “lightbulb” moments. And it is so satisfying when someone loves one of my paintings enough to spend their hard-earned money on it, take it home and live with it – when it touches them emotionally and brings them joy.

RR: Thank you.

Debra Joy Groesser’s work can be seen locally at the Bay Art Gallery at Sister Bay Trading Company in Sister Bay. Her work is also in Abend Gallery (Denver, Colorado), SouthWind Gallery (Topeka, Kansas) and Edward Montgomery Fine Art (Carmel-by-the-Sea, California). For more information visit DebraJoyGroesser.com.