BIOGRAPHY

Deb Slowey is a contemporary painter living and working in Sarasota, Florida. Working primarily in oil and mixed media, she creates imaginative, surreal figurative works that balance precise draftsmanship with expressive painterly qualities. Her practice is rooted in a tension between the structural clarity of design and the emotional weight of expressionism, resulting in dreamlike narratives that challenge traditional perspectives.

In her recent work, Slowey explores archetypal themes and human duality, often utilizing the symbolism of the Tarot and mythology as a framework. Moving away from purely decorative motifs, her compositions fuse bold coloration with enigmatic storytelling, placing figures in lush, sometimes ambiguous landscapes. This approach allows her to investigate the "unseen" psychological dimensions of her subjects, blending the rigor of her early training with an intuitive, surrealist sensibility.

Slowey studied under the expressionist Tom Bostelle and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She developed her practice further through a close mentorship with the renowned artist Will Barnet, whose influence on her understanding of space and structure remains a touchstone. Her work has been exhibited in The Imagine Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, and galleries in New York and Washington D.C., and is held in the permanent collection of the United States Embassy in Paris.

ARTIST STATEMENT

"My work exists at the intersection of precision and wildness. Growing up, I was torn between two artistic worlds: the disciplined, structural clarity taught to me by Will Barnet, and the raw, emotive expressionism of Tom Bostelle. For years, I viewed these as opposing forces, but in my contemporary practice, I use them to create a unified visual language.

I often anchor my compositions with rigorous, diagrammatic structures—a nod to my history with design—but I disrupt this order with the organic weight of the figure. I am interested in the tension where a realistic subject inhabits a flat, symbolic space, suggesting that our internal realities are distinct from the physical world around us.

Currently, I am exploring the archetypes of the Tarot to ground my imaginative imagery. This series moves beyond the purely decorative into the psychological. By placing familiar symbols into surreal, vivid landscapes, I aim to create a space where the viewer can encounter the mystical and the ambiguous, finding their own narrative within the scene." 

CV / RESUME

EDUCATION

  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Painting, Philadelphia, PA

  • The Barnes Foundation, History & Aesthetics, Philadelphia, PA

  • Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, Fine Art Printmaking Atelier, New York, NY

MENTORSHIP

  • Will Barnet, Private Mentorship (1980s–2000s), New York, NY

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • The Old Stone House, 10 Years of Art, Hasbrouck, NY (2004)

  • Statler Hall, SUNY Sullivan, Wonderful Webs, Lock Sheldrake, NY (2002)

  • Chuck Levitan Gallery, Paintings ‘89-’93, New York, NY (1993)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

  • The Imagine Museum, Fire and Light (Aesop Series), St. Petersburg, FL (2025)

  • The Imagine Museum, Alice Through The Looking Glass, St. Petersburg, FL (2024)

  • Women's Caucus for Art, Traveling Exhibition, Various Locations, FL (2022-2025)

  • Hotbed Gallery, PAFA Fellowship, Philadelphia, PA (2020)

  • Morean Center for Art, Women Who Work, St. Petersburg, FL (2020)

  • Modern Love Club, FOMO, Lower East Side, New York, NY (2019)

  • KYO Gallery, Resist and Recover, Alexandria, VA (2018)

  • Tampa Museum of Art, Art After Dark, Tampa, FL (2014)

  • Boyden Gallery, Slowey and Barnet, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, MD (2005)

  • Broome Street Gallery, NY Artist Equity 50th Anniversary, New York, NY (2004)

  • Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, Year of the Woman, Beijing, China (2000)

  • Anchorage Museum of Art, From Aardvark to Zebra, Anchorage, AK (1991)

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

  • United States Embassy, Ambassadress Collection, Paris, France

  • St. Mary's College of Maryland, Permanent Collection

  • The Printmaking Workshop Collection, New York, NY

  • Parana Curitiba, Brazil

  • Downingtown High School, Permanent Collection, PA

  • Private collections throughout the United States

BIBLIOGRAPHY & PRESS

  • Tampa Bay Magazine, Best of 2025, 4-Page Feature Spread (2025)

  • John Seed, Critical Essay on Recent Artworks, Review

  • Voyage Tampa, Rising Stars: Meet Debi Slowey-Raguso, Interview (2021)

  • Clark Hulings Fund, Interview by Sofia Perez, Visual Artists Blog (2019)

  • Tampa Bay Magazine, Feature Article (2017)

  • Arts to Hearts Magazine, Feature

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Women's Caucus for Art, Co-Chair, Southeastern US Regional Director

  • The Hope Museum, Board of Directors

  • Contemporary Circle, Member

ARTIST TALKS & LECTURES

  • The Imagine Museum, Gallery Talk for Fire and Light Exhibition, St. Petersburg, FL (2025)

BIBLIOGRAPHY & PRESS

  • Tampa Bay Magazine, Best of 2025, 4-Page Feature Spread (2025)

  • John Seed, Critical Essay on Recent Artworks, Review

  • Arts to Hearts Project, Exploring Myth, Math, and Science in Deb Slowey's Immersive Paintings, Interview

  • Voyage Tampa, Rising Stars: Meet Debi Slowey-Raguso, Interview (2021)

  • Clark Hulings Fund, Business of Art Interview, Feature (2019)

  • Tampa Bay Magazine, Feature Article (2017)