About

BIO

PAINTING
BA Double Major in History in Art and Visual Arts

Painter with work sold and shipped around the world
Gallery Represented painter with multiple solo and shared shows (now self represented)
Self Represented painter with sold out private shows
Published art on book covers in Europe

ILLUSTRATION
Commercial Illustration for logos and projects
Illustration (and Food Photography) co-creator of The Artful Pie Project, a Canada Silver Award recipe book, published by Whitecap Books

Licensing Agency (past) Art In Motion - collage art, and photography for worldwide print market

PHOTOGRAPHY
Styling & Photography of food and product, for catalogues, projects, and publishing

INSPIRATION

When I was at university, I fell in love with History in Art and specialized in Northern Renaissance and Middle Eastern Garden Design. I am still in love with it all, particularly the symbolism. From a flower, to foot placement, to the direction of water flow in a formal garden, it’s all fascinating to me.

I also love vintage botanicals and science illustrations, old and worn objects, antique labels, books, quirky jars, and funny little boxes.

I live on the West Coast of Canada. My home is high up on a hill where it’s wooded and quiet, overlooking houses, ocean, islands, and mountains. My other view is of the very top branches of trees as if I was looking out of a birdhouse. It is both a sanctuary and my creative hub.

PAINTING

I champion slow living. My paintings are calm, old world, and are about places you go to find peace. My entire remit with painting is to create a sense of calm and quiet. It is what I appreciate in my world. I also appreciate humour, whimsy, and quirkiness so that shows up too, more often in my illustrations

I focus on landscapes now but have in my career done abstract and figurative work. Both a landscape and figurative piece are the front cover of books published in Milan and Prague.

ILLUSTRATION

I love illustrating. I love project work. Coming up with whimsical, quirky visuals, or being given a list to produce, or asked to brainstorm an image… it is a joy. I sometimes incorporate elements of my paintings into my illustration work bring textures that can only be found with hand-made work. I love to include hints of art history as well. I also love sketch work - simple black and white motifs and singular studies.

My favourite illustrator is Sowa, and many, many contemporary artists. So much talent everywhere.

For me, illustration is the freedom to express myself, and a challenge to carry a message, depict, decorate, delight, and inspire.

Deb Garlick Illustration on Instagram is a new spot. I decided it was time to separate that work from my painting. Here is where I join online illustration challenges and just have fun with it.

Thicket Wood Studio will be a curated portfolio that I’m currently working on for licensing and I will introduce that work later this year (2025).


PHOTOGRAPHY

I have worked as a product and a food photographer. My product photos have been published in national magazines like Canadian House and Home. My food photography has been published for articles, and most notably, I co-created a wonderful recipe book with Chef Denise Marchessault. The Artful Pie Project (Whitecap Books) is filled with my illustration and where I arranged Denise’s creations into delicious, artful compositions to shoot.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: Deb Garlick Art

Instagram: @debgarlickart - painting and illustration

NEW Instagram: @debgarlickillustration - illustration only