Caring Connections Print

About the Piece:

The canvas highlights a central image depicting caring, while surrounded by 8 small vignettes of caring activities. Each of the vignettes is linked to the central image through curvy lines. The curvy lines are used to depict that caring is not a straight line but can be convoluted and difficult. Behind the central image is a tree with branches and roots that shows the connectedness of humans to caring. Attention has been taken to use non-traditional colors for humans so that the concentration is on caring rather than any racial identifiers.

About the Artist: 

Deborah Speese-Linehan, known as Dee to her friends, is a New Haven, African-American, 76 year old citizen. After retiring from education 13 years ago she actively began to pursue her long-time love of art. Deborah found, in this late arrival to art, a strong emotional voice in her work and a connection she wants viewers to feel. Deborah’s inspirations have been her reaction to life experiences from growing up in poverty, the Civil Rights era, Equal Rights for Women movement, the Vietnam War, and those from being being an educator and a parent. She has observed, experienced and felt a myriad of emotions that she expresses artistically. In addition, she adds to her experiences, the perspective as an aging women in the USA.

Deborah enjoys exploring with different mediums from clay sculptures, acrylic painting, charcoal, pastels, charcoal and wax utilizing vivid colors and textures to evoke strong emotional responses.

Deborah has shown her work at New Haven’s Open Studios but hasn’t had the courage to create a social media presence.

About the Materials:

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%
• Paper is sourced from Japan