Debra Cook Shapiro is a San Francisco-based painter pursuing her passion for art since moving to California. After leaving the St. Louis metropolitan area, where she grew up, she began her art education at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She went on to study at the Istituto de L’Arte et Ristauro and Istituto Lorenzo de Medici in Florence, Italy before continuing her education at the San Francisco Art Institute and UC Berkeley Post Baccalaureate program in painting. Shapiro has honed her skills through seminars with contemporary artists she admires, Felicia Forte, Aron Meynell, and Yana Beylinson. Shapiro’s work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at galleries, wineries, and private residences in Northern California.

In a virtual visit to the artist Debra Cook Shapiro’s home studio which is full of natural lights and warmth. Debra is an oil painter who mainly works on the themes of parties and celebrations, figurative work in beautiful outdoor settings. The vibrantly costumed figures capture the joy of those moments that are common but all too rare in our lives. In this interview she shares how she sets her studio for the year, and her intentions for the year. She also shares what a typical day looks like for her and some bits from her home studio and more.

How are you setting up your studio for the New Year?

When I return to my studio after visiting my family for the holidays I plan to clean it and buy new window shades. I am lucky to have good natural light which is working well. I would like to purchase a new light for recording videos of my painting process and improve the feng shui which I am just beginning to understand.

What is one ritual or thing that you do at the beginning of the New Year in your studio?

I will write my intentions on a Post-it in plain sight and keep a jar to hold written “wins” that happen so I can read them at the end of 2024.

Looking at last year what is the work that you are most proud of?

My collage “La Fete de la Piscine”, was a surprise favorite. I started making collages during the pandemic when I was new to working at home in a smaller space. I painted oil colors I used on the canvas onto the vellum to challenge myself with a new point of entry into painting from a photo reference. It was a relaxing way to analyze the features of the intended painting without the entire set-up of an easel and palette being necessary. I carried the lightweight painted papers around with me, a pair of scissors and and matte medium were my only supplies. Collages can take me longer than the paintings but it is a different thinking process and I love how it informs the painting that I eventually make with a new point of view after the collage has been made. It deconstructs the image into shapes and shards of color and light. The angular features and flattened distance field give it a more contemporary look with a fresh approach to the ages-old painting subject of people bathing and celebrating near water. This collage is in the hands of a collector who was smitten with it in my recent Open Studios and I now have limited edition archival prints available.

What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?

I start the morning with a ten minute minutes of gratitude, planks, some weight-lifting, and a few moments of silence or reading before entering the studio. I raise the studio shades to get the north and west light on my easel and write my 3 intentions for my mindset and painting agenda for the day on a Post-it. I leave my notifications off for the first two hours while I am fresh for 25-minute Pomodoro painting or writing segments with no breaks for coffee, food, phone, or other distractions until the timer sounds. I start by refreshing my palette and organizing the room for the first few minutes. The room is small and every inch counts so I have to optimize placement and remove anything I don’t absolutely need for the task at hand. I like to have my first-morning session in silence while my concentration is at a peak. If I can’t calm my thoughts or stay focused I listen to Tibetan sound bowls on the app, Insight Timer, or meditations from The Miracle Morning to center myself. I exercise or take a walk in the middle of the day for an hour and a half and resume painting as I listen to podcasts, a book, or music. I have a few hours after dinner when I catch up on computer work and life’s business that I have learned to put at the end of the day after my painting goals have been prioritized. It has been a game-changer for my productivity as I have a mind that is resistant to staying focused unless I train it and remove tempting distractions like Instagram and my phone texts.

Could you share the studio spaces you work from? Be it your kitchen table or a fancy studio? How has your creative process evolved?

Making the transition from a large studio in an artist building with a gallery space in the SOMA district of San Francisco, was not easy at first because I was looking at what I was giving up instead of what I was gaining. I had been teaching group lessons and workshops with plenty of room for the occasional art party for up to ten participants. My dedicated studio room in my home was formerly a small guest room next to the kitchen which is the perfect size for me and my work. It helps me stay focused which has always been so difficult for me as I work on one thing at a time in that room and have space to work one-on-one in a private lesson situation comfortably. I have a long work table in the adjacent kitchen with a table-top easel on it and space for my palette I usually have another canvas on that easel. I store the extra canvases and materials I am not using that day in a storage room in the basement near the utility sink where I clean the brushes. I have to be more careful and deliberate in working from home. My brush cleaning area is precariously close to the washer and dryer, so staying present during brush cleaning instead of listening to a podcast or book has been an interesting change and another opportunity to train my brain to stay focused on the activity at hand. Working at home allows me to take my breaks in our garden and enjoy some sunshine and nature sights and sounds. Wild parrots fly overhead every day and our garden is filled with butterflies, hummingbirds, and seasonal blooming plants and flowers. I can see the bay and remind myself how lucky I am to get to do the work I love in my own home that I love being in and didn’t see much during daytime hours when my studio was outside of my home.

How are you setting up the tone for your studio practice this new year?

I will try to have an earlier start and an earlier finish at the end of the day. I would like to have a routine of filming the painting process which I have resisted and found intimidating. I think I will grow in confidence and skill if I stay accountable to that goal.

 A favorite book you like to read?

Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Living

Her application is a hybrid of traditional painting techniques and expressionistic textural strokes. The intent is to strike an uplifting note of pleasure in the viewer, whether it ignites a memory of a festive time or builds a hope for the future. 

Bio- Debra Cook Shapiro

Can we sneak in your current artwork on your table?

Yes! This is the work on the easel at this time. I have written “LA art show” on a post-it note and it went into the  LA Art Show last weekend!! I believe in writing down those visions! 

How do you take your studio practice beyond your studio?

Through shows and fairs, Instagram, magazines, and hopefully videos of my work in progress I will learn to do this year, and my ultimate goal is to have work in galleries in the US and beyond.

How would you describe the year 2023 for your studio practice?

It was the most exciting year ever! My practice and beliefs were finally aligned, and my dreams and even some surprising opportunities that were better than I could have wished for became a reality!

How do you overcome a creative block and let the creative juices flow?

Step away, go for walks, go to my Latin Vibes dance class, listen to inspirational podcasts

The first piece of art you made while working here in this studio.

The first collage of the Pink Quilt, of my sons and their girlfriends in our garden during the pandemic.

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