DEBRA HOUSTON’s Inspiration Point:

Urban Glow by Debra Houston

It’s interesting to me when the weather can play so heavily on our emotions. How a sudden hush can come over our surroundings when snow falls or fog lies low in the trees or streets.

I live in between the Oregon coast and a condo in the city. Sometimes inspiration comes from a unique combination of those two environments. In this piece I tried to capture how it feels when the fog starts to roll in on the coast and the play that might have on lights in the city. The quiet chill that would fill the air and the dancing glow of the city lights, illuminating the streets, as strangers walk to their destinations.

The Long Walk Home by Debra Houston

I think a goal of most all artists is to evoke any form of emotion from an individual viewing their work. I’m definitely in that category. 

I paint (and talk) a lot about ‘home’.  Comfort lives there, my own – true - me, my family, personal moments and memories, and this is where I’m at my very best. No matter where I find myself, home tends to be the place I consistently desire to return to. It’s my internal peace-maker that I can always count upon to bring me and my soul ‘back to even’. 

So knowing that, my version of its importance, I hope that you can relate to the moment I tried to capture. 

‘Working or better yet, striving to get to this private sanctuary. The long walk ahead, the chill in the air. Where has she been? How far has she traveled and does she have yet to travel? The person in the distance; are they meeting her for the last part of her walk and to welcome her home? Or is it just a stranger on their own way, to somewhere unknown. What will she encounter upon arrival? A warm glow in the fireplace? The aroma of a favorite meal waiting on the stove? Maybe none of these, maybe all. But for now, the focus remains on the journey.’