“THIS COLLECTION BEGAN THE WAY MANY OF MY PAINTINGS DO: WITH A MOMENT, A MOOD, AND A MEMORY THAT WOULDN’T QUITE LEAVE ME ALONE.
THE WORKS GATHERED HERE SPAN TIME, PLACE, AND FEELING—OFTEN ROOTED IN REAL LOCATIONS LIKE VENICE OR SAN FRANCISCO, BUT FILTERED THROUGH THE LENS OF IMAGINATION, LONGING, AND LIVED EXPERIENCE. SOME PAINTINGS ARE CONSTRUCTED WITH OIL ON CANVAS OR PAPER; OTHERS EMERGE THROUGH COLLAGE, USING CUT SHAPES AND SPONTANEOUS COMPOSITION TO CAPTURE THE RHYTHM OF A SCENE. WHETHER BUILT WITH BRUSHSTROKES OR HAND-TORN PAPER, EACH PIECE IS DRIVEN BY THE SAME IMPULSE: TO HOLD A FLEETING MOMENT OF CONNECTION, BEAUTY, OR EMOTIONAL CHARGE JUST LONG ENOUGH TO PAINT IT.
THEMES OF INTIMACY, CELEBRATION, AND QUIET ANTICIPATION APPEAR OFTEN—FRIENDS MID-CONVERSATION, A WOMAN WALKING INTO THE GOLDEN LIGHT, THE HUSH BEFORE A PARTY, OR THE SOFT TENSION OF WONDERING WHO MIGHT SHOW UP. I’M INTERESTED IN THE INNER LIFE OF THESE MOMENTS—THE EMOTIONAL PAUSE BEFORE THE NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS.
THOUGH GROUNDED IN OBSERVATION, THESE SCENES SHIFT AS I WORK: MEMORIES LAYER, GESTURES CHANGE, AND LOCATIONS BLEND. VENICE CURVES INTO SAN FRANCISCO. A PIAZZA BECOMES A CANVAS OF COLOR AND LIGHT. A FIGURE MIGHT BE SOMEONE I ONCE KNEW, OR SOMEONE I IMAGINED. IN THIS WAY, EACH PIECE IS A KIND OF COMPOSITE—A VISUAL MEMORY COLLAGE, BOTH REAL AND INVENTED.
THIS BODY OF WORK IS A CELEBRATION OF PRESENCE. A LOVE LETTER TO SMALL, SHIMMERING MOMENTS THAT LINGER. AND AN INVITATION TO THE VIEWER TO STEP IN AND REMEMBER THEIR OWN.
THESE MOMENTS OF SOLITUDE AND CONNECTION INTERTWINE TO REVEAL HOW JOY, MEMORY, AND SELF-POSSESSION DEFINE OUR RELATIONSHIPS—WITH OTHERS, AND WITH OURSELVES. THROUGH COLOR, LIGHT, AND EMOTION, THE WORKS HONOR RESILIENCE, BEAUTY, AND THE SHARED EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE LIFE MEANINGFUL AND DEEPLY HUMAN."
- DEBRA COOK SHAPIRO
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Debra Cook Shapiro is a San Francisco-based painter whose figurative work explores themes of human connection in imaginative, emotionally resonant settings. Her practice is grounded in expressive color, gesture, and narrative composition.
She grew up in a rural area near St. Louis, Missouri, where early experiences of solitude and distance shaped her interest in human relationships—an ongoing focus in her work.
Shapiro earned a B.S. in Education from Illinois State University in 1977 with an emphasis in Children’s Literature and moved to San Francisco in 1984 to pursue art with an intention of becoming an illustrator. She studied Illustration and drawing at Academy of Art University San Francisco, 1987-1990, and learned that illustration and technical drawing did not feel aligned. Taking a leap of faith Shapiro enrolled in art courses in Florence, Italy Art History from the Renaissance to modern times figurative and landscape studies in Florence, Italy, at the Istituto per l’Arte e il Restauro (1991–1992) and the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute(1993–1994). San Francisco Art Institute Painting UC Berkeley Extension Post-Baccalaureate Painting Seminars 2014-2016
Shapiro has had solo shows in the Residence of the French Consul in San Francisco in 2008 and 2016 and Sundance Kabuki CInema Gallery 2013, Ice House Gallery in Petaluma in 2014.
Her work was shown in group exhibits in the office of Scott Weiner, state senator, 2020, Mirus Gallery, 2024, 2023, Abend Gallery 2024, Arc Gallery, and 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Her work has been exhibited at The SuperfairSF 2025, and is scheduled to show there in March 2026 in San Francisco. Her work was shown at The Superfair Brooklyn (2025), the LA Art Fair 2023 with Teravarna Gallery.
In 2023, she received a scholarship to attend the European Cultural Academy course featuring the Venice Biennale.
In addition to her painting practice, Shapiro teaches and mentors emerging artists.
"My work centers on human connection—capturing the emotional significance of gatherings and shared moments with those closest to us. These figurative oil paintings explore themes of romantic love, enduring friendship, shared history, and the emotional terrain of family life. The moments I depict are not incidental; they are, for me, the essence of what gives life meaning.
Many of the works are inspired by my own life and a deep appreciation for the meaningful relationships within it. Others are based on family photographs and memories, like a painting of my beloved aunt as a young woman.
Through vivid color and balanced composition, I revisit moments of celebration and reflection. Artists like Titian, Fragonard, the Nabis, the Bay Area Figurative painters, and Hockney have shaped the way I think about color, intimacy, and how people inhabit a space. I imagine my subjects stepping out of their routines—dressed, engaged, and connected—even if only briefly. I often hint at what happens after the gathering, as in the bikini top draped on a chaise in Mischief, or the lone swimmer in Côte d’Azur, needing solitude to reflect on the night before.
The landscapes are drawn from personal places—settings that have offered solace, unexpected joy, and deep emotional resonance. They carry the textures of real environments: gardens, lawns, skies, and beaches I’ve returned to in memory. Over time, my paintings and collages have evolved—blending moments and geographies into a unified sense of place. Each becomes both a container and a mirror for the emotional tone of the scene.
I approach painting with a love of brushwork and a sensibility that favors suggestion over detail. My process often begins with photographs but shifts as memories surface—reshaping relationships, color, and space.
In addition to painting, I create works on painted paper and vellum, constructed playfully and without a rigid plan. These collages have begun to influence my paintings—pushing them toward simpler, bolder compositions that more clearly express my intent.
My palette choices are deliberate, reflecting the emotional tone of each scene and supporting my desire to give form to the complexity of our shared human experience. The places where these stories unfold become characters in their own right. Whether in a sunlit piazza, a backyard garden, or a tranquil pool by the sea, I try to hold the joy of life as it is being lived."
