Deb Cousins

I have lived on the Norfolk  and Suffolk borders for most of my adult life, surrounded by ancient trees, and open fields  and green spaces.

I have also spent many of these years making and creating, and hungry to try out different crafts for pleasure and to sell.

I love strong bold colours and shapes which I want to bring into my art practice in a more expansive way. 

My art practice is becoming more abstract and I feel excited about and where this might lead! I know my time in the designermakers21 incubation studio is so timely and will open my eyes to new possibilities.

I would call myself an emerging artist at the moment. Although I have always been naturally creative, I am still really curious (and sometimes frustrated!)about finding my own style and voice to bring to my art practice. I am largely untutored, and I am one of those creative people who feels overwhelmed by too much choice of direction, but also comfortable enough about not wanting to narrow my artistic and creative options. I love to try different things like a kid in a sweet shop! Through being curious I have found my explorations have brought new directions, whether with textiles or paint, and sometimes surprised at how they can work together. I am by nature intuitive, but have benefited from skill building disciplines. I am at a point in my life when I want to expand my horizons creatively, and think bigger, and take more risks.

Retirement and Covid gave me time and opportunity to take up my creativity again with gained new skills  through excellent online tutors into both improv quilting  and acrylic painting. I love bold bright colours, circles and lines, which tend to recur in my art as I explore layering

I am excited about having this wonderful opportunity to have a studio space and mentoring support at dm21 for 3 months! And I am hoping that I will develop a deeper connection with my art, and what brings me more alive.