Debra Ruth Birtwell is originally from Melrose, Massachusetts. She spent her summers growing up on Martha’s Vineyard and moved here permanently in 1990. Inheriting natural artistic talent from her mother, Mary Lou Huntley Birtwell, and her great-grandmother, Elizabeth Bush Huntley, Debra was encouraged to carry on a family’s love and considerable talent for creating beautiful artwork.

While on the Vineyard, she devoted herself to painting and teaching art with a view to exploring new challenges in both fields. During this time, Debra perfected her work with pastels, watercolors and acrylics.

“Being here year-round,” she said at the time, “keeps me in constant contact with the landscape and shoreline as each season offers a different perspective. Blossoms and leaves come and go; empty harbors fill up and they empty out again; shuttered houses shed their winter garb and their gardens spring to life. All this presents an artist with endless inspiration.”

Through her painting, she feels confident in her ability to replicate the vibrant colors of the Vineyard. The natural elements of the Island are instantly recognizable due to her use of color and light. Debra captures the soft landscapes and seascapes, the details of weathered shingles and rose-draped picket fences which abound in the quaint villages, white sandy beaches and windswept moors. Soft and bright colors are combined to create the subtle shadows which bring natural vegetation to life. Many unique glimpses of the Vineyard’s sea and shore, dunes and homes, fields and pathways, lighthouses and inlets are captured for generations to come.

Debra has recently moved to Plymouth, Massachusetts, and has immersed herself in that community’s artistic endeavors. She feels that the change has been very positive for her work, as it has energized her and renewed her interests in developing new and challenging art forms and subject matter.